WHITE  H 


It:",-, 

1 


,/      V* 


1 


FROM 


LOG-CABIN 


TO    THE 


WHITE  HOUSE 


LIFE  OF 


JAMES  A.  GARFIELD 

BOYHOOD,  YOUTH,  MANHOOD,  ASSASSINA 
TION,  DEATH,   FUNERAL. 


BV 

WILLIAM  M.  THAYER, 

AUTHOR   OF   "THE   PIONEER   BOY,   AND   HOW   HE   BECAME   PRESIDENT,' 

"TACT,  PUSH,   AND  PRINCIPLE,"  LIVES  OF  "AMOS  LAWRENCE," 

«'  CHARLES  JEWETT,"   ETC. 


BOSTON : 

JAMES    H.    EARLE,    PUBLISHER, 

178  WASHINGTON  STREET, 

1881. 


VA 


COPYRIGHT, 

1880, 
BY  JAMES  H.  EARLH 


Electrotyped  at  the  Boston  Stereotype  Foundry 
No.  4  Pearl  Street. 


TO  THE 

YOUNG  MEN  AND  YOUTH  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES, 
(Ejns  Volume, 

FOETBAYING  THE  INDUSTRY,  COURAGE,   DECISION,  ENERGY, 

PERSEVERANCE,    AND   NOBLE  CHARACTER 

OF  THE  LATE  PRESIDENT 

JAMES   A.  GARFIELD, 

IN    HIS    EARLY   STRUGGLES    FOR    A    LIVELIHOOD    AND    EDUCATION, 
AND  HIS  GRAND  PUBLIC  CAREER, 


Sinccrclg  anfr  ^ffett 


M67467 


PREFACE. 


EIGHTEEN  years  ago  the  author  prepared  a  book 
for  youth  and  young  men  upon  the  life  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  entitled  THE  PIONEER  BOY,  AND  HOW  HE 
BECAME  PRESIDENT.  The  favorable  reception  of 
that  volume  carried  it  through  thirty-six  editions. 
More  than  a  year  ago,  after  the  nomination  of  Gen 
eral  Garfield,  the  publisher  of  this  volume  suggested 
that  a  similar  work  at  the  present  time,  upon  his  life, 
would  furnish  one  of  the  noblest  examples  of  suc 
cess  for  the  young  men  of  our  land  to  imitate. 

With  the  plan  of  making  the  volume  not  a  work 
for  the  campaign,  but  a  standard  volume  for  the 
family  for  the  years  to  come,  months  were  employed 
in  gathering  and  preparing  the  material. 

The  materials  for  the  work  were  furnished  by 
General  Garfield ;  several  of  his  early  associates, 
two  of  whom  were  born  in  log-cabins  near  him ; 
several  of  his  teachers  and  pupils ;  the  owner  and 
captain  of  the  canal-boat  on  which  he  served ;  and 
intimate  friends  of  his  manhood,  —  the  most  reliable 
sources  of  information  possible.  The  materials 
forcibly  impressed  us  with  the  similarity  between 


PREFACE. 


the  lives  of  President  Lincoln  and  President  Gar- 
field. 

Both  of  these  statesmen  were  born  in  log-cabins, 
built  by  their  fathers,  in  the  wilderness,  for  family 
homes.  Both  were  poor  as  mortals  can  well  be. 
Both  were  born  with  talents  of  the  highest  order ; 
but  neither  enjoyed  early  advantages  of  schools 
and  teachers.  At  eight  years  of  age  Lincoln  lost 
his  mother;  and  when  Garfield  was  eighteen 
months  old  he  lost  his  father.  Both  worked  on  a 
farm,  chopped  wood,  and  did  whatever  else  was 
needful  for  a  livelihood,  when  eight  years  of  age. 
Both  improved  every  leisure  moment  in  study  and 
reading.  Both  read  all  the  books  that  could  be 
borrowed  for  miles  around ;  and  each  was  known, 
in  his  own  township  and  time,  as  a  boy  of  remarka 
ble  mental  ability  and  promise.  Both  of  them  early 
displayed  great  tact  and  energy,  turning  a  hand  to 
any  kind  of  labor, — farming,  chopping,  teaming, 
carpentering.  In  his  youth,  Lincoln  ran  a  flat-boat 
down  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers  to  New  Or 
leans,  eighteen  hundred  miles,  on  a  trading  expe 
dition  ;  Garfield,  at  about  the  same  age,  served  on 
a  boat  of  the  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  Canal,  driving 
mules  and  acting  as  steersman.  Both  were  well 
known  for  their  industry,  tact,  perseverance,  integ 
rity,  courage,  economy,  thoroughness,  punctuality, 


PREFACE. 


decision,  and  benevolence.  Both  taught  school  in 
the  backwoods  as  soon  as  they  knew  enough  to 
teach.  Each  of  them  studied  law  when  pursuing 
another  vocation  for  a  livelihood,  —  Lincoln  a  sur 
veyor,  and  Garfield  a  teacher.  Each  became  a 
member  of  the  legislature  in  his  native  State  before 
thirty  years  of  age.  Both  served  the  country  in  war, 
when  about  the  same  age,  —  Lincoln  in  the  "Black- 
hawk  War,"  and  Garfield  in  the  "  War  of  the  Re 
bellion."  Each  was  the  youngest  member  of  the 
legislature,  and  the  youngest  officer  in  the  army 
when  he  served.  The  talents  and  eloquence  of 
both  made  them  members  of  Congress,  —  Lincoln 
at  thirty-seven  years  of  age,  and  Garfield  at  thirty- 
three  ;  each  one  of  them  being  the  youngest  mem 
ber  of  the  House  of  Representatives  at  the  time. 
Both  of  them  took  high  rank  at  once  as  debaters 
and  eloquent  speakers,  as  well  as  stalwart  opposers 
of  slavery.  Both,  also,  won  a  reputation  for  wit 
and  humor  and  geniality,  making  them  popular 
with  both  sides  of  the  House.  Neither  of  them 
were  candidates  in  the  National  Conventions  that 
nominated  them  for  the  Presidency,  —  both  were 
compromise  candidates  when  it  became  apparent 
that  union  could  be  secured  upon  no  others.  Their 
names  were  introduced  amid  the  wildest  enthusi 
asm  ;  thousands  cheering,  hats  swinging,  handker- 


8  PREFACE. 


chiefs  waving,  and  the  bands  playing  national  airs. 
The  nomination  of  each  was  hailed  with  demonstra 
tions  of  joy  throughout  the  country. 

And  now,  the  most  remarkable  of  all  coinciden 
ces  in  their  lives  we  record  with  sadness,  —  both 
died  in  the  Presidential  office  by  the  ASSASSIN'S 
SHOT.  History  has  no  parallel  for  this  amazing 
fact.  We  search  in  vain  the  annals  of  all  countries 
for  a  kindred  record.  Beginning  life  in  the  obscu 
rity  of  the  wilderness,  and  ending  it  on  the  summit 
of  renown !  Their  first  home  a  log  cabin !  their 
last,  the  White  House !  Beloved  by  a  trusting 
nation,  and  shot  by  the  assassin  ! 

A  more  inspiring  example  to  study  and  imitate 
cannot  be  found  in  the  annals  of  our  Republic.  As 
a  model  of  whatever  belongs  to  noble  traits  of  char 
acter,  heroic  achievements,  and  the  highest  success 
fairly  won,  we  present  him  in  this  book. 

W.    M.    T. 


CONTENTS. 


I. 

FIRST  DAY  AT  SCHOOL. 

School  opens — James  must  go  —  The  Elder  Brother  —  What 
James  knew  —  Light  of  Home  —  How  to  get  James  to 
School  — Who  was  Mehetabel  ?  —  Carrying  James  to  School 
on  her  Back  —  How  this  Family  came  in  Woods  of  Ohio  — 
Ancestors  of  James  —  Thomas  and  Abram  Garfield  — 
Widow  Ballou— Abram  and  Eliza  — Moving  West —  The 
Journey  described  —  Abram  going  West  —  Meeting  Eliza  — 
Married — Bride  taken  to  Log-Cabin  —  Description  of 
Cabin — Buys  Tract  in  Orange  —  Removes  there  in  1830  — 
Description  of  the  New  Cabin  —  Abram  Garfield  described 

—  "  Fire  in  the  Forest "  —  Sickness  and  Death  in  the  Cabin 

—  Funeral  —  Grave  in  the  Wheat-field  —  Pleasing  Incident 
Winter  of  Desolation — Loneliness  and  Want,      .     .     Page  21 


II.     ~ 

BEFORE   SCHOOL-DAYS. 

Advice  of  a  Neighbor  —  What  can  be  done  —  Advice  from 
Above  —  Decided  to  remain  —  Thomas  to  run  the  Farm  — 
Progress  of  Farming  —  Wolf  of  Hunger  at  the  Door  —  Two 
Meals  a  Day  —  One  Meal  a  Day  —  The  first  Harvest  —  Mrs. 
Garfield's  History  —  Many  Ministers  and  Talented  Men  in 
the  Family— James'  First  Pair  of  Shoes  —  Shoemakers  of 
that  day  Itinerant  —  A  Christian  Couple  —  Creed  of  the 
Disciples  —  A  Christian  home, 36 

9 


10  CONTENTS. 


III. 

GETTING   ON. 

The  Spinning-wheel  —  Coming  Home  from  School  —  Com 
ments  on  the  School  —  Ohio  Schools  described — What 
Books  in  the  Family  —  The  Locality  of  the  School-house 
described  —  Chagrin  Falls  — James  inquisitive  —  Qj-iestion- 
ing  the  Scholars  on  the  Bible  —  His  remarkable  Memory  — 
Sharp  Observation — Great  Imitator  —  The  Winter  School 
— James  did  not  go  —  Long  Evenings  in  the  Cabin  — James' 
Mother  teaching  him  —  The  child's  Volume  —  The  New 
Idea  of  Rain  —  Great  Reader  —  The  English-reader  —  Rev 
els  in  books, oo 


IV. 

TRIALS  AND   TRIUMPHS. 

A  New  School-house  —  The  Plan  accomplished — Teacher 
from  New  Hampshire  —  His  Appearance  —  "  Boarding 
round"  —  Making  a  General  of  James  —  What  is  a  Gen 
eral? —  The  Revolution  —  His  Great-grandfather  in  War 

—  A  Wonderful  Revelation   to    him  —  Relations    between 
Teacher  and  James  —  The  Strict  Rule  —  Trying  to  Sit  Still 

—  A  Failure  —  Mother's  Disappointment  —  The  Teacher's 
New  Idea  —  The  New  Trial    and  Results  —  Interview  with 
Mrs.  Garfield — James  Nervous  and  Restive  —  Kicking  off 
the  Clothes  in  Peace  —  Kicking  off  the  Clothes  in  War  — 
Best   Scholar  —  Won    the   Testament  —  Result   of    Being 
Himself — Tlve  Spelling-club  and  Spelling-matches,       .     .     57 


V. 

BOY   FARMER. 

James  at  Farming  —  More  Money  needed  —  Plans  suggested  — 
Teaching  in  View  —  The  "  I  Cans  " —  Swallowing  the  Egg 
—  His  Self-reliance  —  William  Carey,  the  Missionary  — 
Not  Egotism  or  Pride  —  "Where  there's  a  Will,  there's  a 


CONTENTS. 


Way  "  —  "  God  helps  those  who  help  themselves"—  "  Self- 
made,  or  never  made" — What  a  Statesman  said  —  What 
James  said  Forty  Years  After  —  Playing  in  School,  and  sent 
Home  —  The  Humorous  side  —  Enlarging  the  Log-Cabin,  72 


VI. 

SUNDAY  IN  THE  WOODS. 

Need  of  Sabbath  in  Woods  —  A  Revelation  to  James  —  Meet 
ing-houses  and  Sabbath  Bells  —  Pioneer  Meetings — How 
Families  went  to  Meeting  —  Itinerant  Preachers  described 

—  Sunday  in  the  Garfield  Cabin  —  The  Bible  its  Preacher  — 
James  wants  to  know  where  it  came  from — Joseph's  Coat 
of  many  Colors  a  Puzzle —  His  singular  Inquisitiveness  — 
Influence  of  the  Bible  on  him  — The  Temperance  Reform 

—  James' first  Lessons  in  Temperance  —  Taught  Loyalty  to 
Country —  Bravery  in  doing  Right  —  The  Den  of  Lions  — 
The  Garfield  Coat-of-arms  —  Moral  Heroism  of  his  Home 

—  Religious  Controversies  —  Baptism  —  Effect  on  James  — 

A  Whig  not  Baptized, 83 


VII. 

HIGHER  UP. 

Change  for  Thomas  — James'  Interest  — Twenty-one  —  Emi 
gration  to  Michigan  — James  must  Run  Farm  in  place  of 
Thomas  —  A  Lonely  Cabin  —  The  Scenery  about  James' 
Home — Speculation  and  Thomas  in  Michigan — James 
Runs  the  Farm  -  Poverty  and  Happiness  —  Hardships  — 
Ignorance  is  Bliss — Work  is  not  Hardship  for  James  —  Ex 
changing  Work — Pioneers  need  Wisdom  —  Change  of 
fourteen  Years — Efficiency  of  James  on  the  Farm — The 
farm  his  Teacher  —  George  Stephenson  —  Manhood  De 
veloping—  Thoughts  of  an  Education  —  Man  devising,  God 
Directing  his  Steps, 98 


12  CONTENTS* 


VIII. 
BOY  CARPENTER. 

Tom  coming  Home  —  Big  and  Little  Brother  —  Mother  and 
Son  —  Handful  of  Gold — James  wonders  —  His  Mother 
Overcome  —  The  Frame-house — What  James  can  do — Mor 
tising  and  Planing  —  Frame-houses  Small  and  Cheap  — 
Sharp  Observation  —  Elbow  Grease  —  The  Will  and  Way- 
Raising  the  House  —  Driving  Nails  —  A  Failure  and  its 
Lessons — Orator  Mum  —  Pluck  and  Luck  —  Secret  Pur 
pose  carried  out  —  Trying  —  A  Job  at  Carpenter's  Work  — 
One  Hundred  boards  Planed  —  First  Money  earned  —  An 
Hour  of  Triumph  —  All  for  his  Mother, HI 

IX. 

BARN-BUILDING. 

The  Carpenter's  Call  —  Learning  to  Frame  a  Barn  — The  Price 

—  Doing  Things  Well  —  Knowing  certainly  —  Seeing  with 
the  Brains—  Plan  of  the  Barn  —  Use  of  Plan  or  System  — 
The   Lord's  System  —  System   Indispensable  —  The  Barn 
Completed —  Fifty  Cents  a  Day —  How  improved  Evenings 

—  In  Advance  of  his  Teacher  —  An  Incident  in  School  — 
Reading    Robinson    Crusoe  —  Its    Impression  —  Reading 
Josephus  —  Refusal  to  Break  the  Sabbath  —  His  Bravery 
to  resist  Wrong — Kindness    to  Animals    and  his  Friend 
David  — Defending  the  Little  Boy  — Another  Barn  built  — 
Same  Pay  —  At  School  —  Another  Book,  "Alonzo  and  Me 
lissa  "  —  Growing  Aspirations  —  Love  of  Sports  —  A  Stal 
wart  Boy —  Trip  to  Cleveland  — The  Bully  Beaten,    .     „    .  131 

A. 

A  BLACK-SALTER. 

Colloquy  —  Weeding  Peppermint  —  "  Leading  the  Gang  "  — 
Explanation —The  Shed  built  — The  Black-salter's  Pro 
posal —  Going  Home  —  Colloquy  with  his  Mother  —  Be- 


CONTENTS. 


comes  a  Black-sal ter  — What  his  Work  was  —  His  Fidel- 
it/ —  Discovering  the  Cheat  —  Rough  Men  —  The  Profane 
Man  rebuked  —  Bad  Books  in  the  House  —  "  Pirate's  Own 
Book,"  "Marryat's  Novels,"  etc.  —  Worse  than  Damon's  — 
Bad  Effects  of  the  Books  — Seeds  of  Evil  sown  — Wants  to 
be  a  Sailor  —  Barton's  Confidence  —  James  Uneasy  —  What 
came  of  a  Beau  —  "Hired  Servant"  —  How  it  Aroused 
James  —  Leaves  the  Saltery,  .  ^  .........  154 


XL 

A  WOOD-CHOPPER. 

Home  for  Good  —  Talk  with  his  Mother — Wish  to  be  Some 
body—Tells  Mother  of  the  Sea— Getting  a  Job  — Bar 
gains  to  chop  a  Hundred  Corcls  of  Wood  —  Boards  with  his 
Sister — Fail  View  of  Lake  Erie  —  The  German  chopping 
—  Lesson  of  Application  and  Perseverance  —  Talk  with  Sis 
ter  about  going  to  Sea  —  Two  Cords  cut  every  Day  —  Books 
at  Home  —  Reads  Evenings  -• — Completes  Job,  and  goes 
Home  —  Works  four  Months  for  a  Farmer  —  Haying  and 
Harvesting  —  Discussion  on  Baptism  —  Talk  with  Farmer 
about  going  to  Sea  — Forty-eight  Dollars  Pay,  ..  .  .  .171 


XII. 

A  CANAL  BOY. 

Dissatisfied  at  Home — Longing  for  the  Sea  —  A  Compro 
mise —  Bound  for  Lake  Erie — Application  to  Captain  of 
a  Schooner— Horrible  Scene  —  The  Repulse  —  Musing  — 
Call  of  Captain  Letcher — James'  Surprise  and  Bargain  — 
The  Canal  Outfit  —  Boatmen  Rough  and  Ignorant — His 
first  Day  as  Driver  — James  and  Mules  Tumble  into  Canal 
—  An  Exciting  Scene  —  The  Comical  View  of  it —  "  Eleven 
Miles  Lock" — James  Relieved  —  Catechised  by  the  Cap 
tain —  Captain  opposes  his  going  to  Sea  —  Advises  him  to 
Teach  School— Sets  James  to  Thinking, 183 


14  CONTENTS. 


XIII. 
TRIUMPHS  ON  THE  TOW-PATH. 

Locks  of  Akron— Prospect  of  a  Fight  — Capt.  Letcher's  Call 

—  Interference  of  James  —  His  Decision  for  Right  triumphs 

—  Scene    at  Breakfast  —  Scene  at    Beaver  —  Accident  to 
Murphy —  Attacks  James  — Another  Triumph  for  James  — 
Harry  Brown  and  Whisky — James'  Hostility  to  Rum  and 
Tobacco  —  Argument  with  Murphy  —  Brown's  Estimate  of 
James  —  The  Steersman's  Opinion  of  James — James  pro 
moted    to  be   Bowman  —  A  Peacemaker  —  The   Captain's 
Opinion  of  James  —  No  Books  —  Observation  —  Fell  Four- 
teen  Times  into  the  Water  —  Last  Fall  into  the  water  Peril 
ous —  Miraculous  Deliverance  —  Good  Impressions  of  it  — 
Attacked   with   Ague  —  Goes    home   Sick  —  Meeting    his 
Mother, 198 

XIV. 

THE  TURNING-POINT. 

Narrating  Experience  before  retiring  —  A  Pious  Mother  —  Her 
sleeples,  joyful  Night  —  Better  next  Day  —  Worse  again  — 
The  Doctor  called — Tossing  with  Fever  —  Letting  out  his 
Heart  —  A  Teacher  or  Preacher  —  Talk  on  Religion  —  Win 
ter  School  —  Bates  the  Teacher  —  Mrs.  Garfield's  wise 
Course — Mr.  Bates'  Call  —  Desire  to  go  to  Sea  again  —  A 
Mother's  Tactics  —  No  Mystery  in  Desire  for  Seafaring  Life 

—  Two  Incidents  —  Growing  Morally  —  Final  Decision  to 
get  an  Education  —  Turning-point  — Great  Question  settled 

—  Pleasing  Interview  with  Dr.  Robinson  —  One  poor  Suit 

of  Clothes — Eleven  Dollars  all, 213 

XV. 

GEAUGA   SEMINARY. 

On  the  Way  to  School  —  Outfit  —  Application  to  the  Princi 
pal —  Hiring  a  Room  —  Boarding  themselves  —  A  Free 
will  Baptist  Institution  —  A  New  Scene  for  James  —  Gram- 


CONTENTS.  15 


mar  Class  —  But  and  and — Contest  with  the  Teacher  — 
A  Queer  System  of  Grammar  —  Fun  for  the  Boys  —  Suc 
cess  of  James  at  Housekeeping  —  Looking  for  Work —  Bar 
gain  with  a  Carpenter — Works  before  and  after  School,  and 
on  Saturdays — The  School  Library  attractive  to  James  — 
Writing  Composition  —  First  Appearance  on  the  Stage  — 
Reading  the  Life  of  Henry  C.  Wright  —  A  Milk  Diet  —  Pay 
ing  all  his  Bills — The  Debating  Society  —  Foundation  of 
his  Greatness  —  Henry  Wilson  —  Buxton  —  Canning,  .  .  229 


XVI. 

AFTER  VACATION. 

Vacation  —  Building  a  Barn  for  his  Mother  —  A  Job  with  a 
Farmer  —  Behind  Time  —  Evening  Studies  —  The  Lonely 
Ninepence — Horace  Mann  —  Return  to  the  Seminary  — 
Giving  away  the  Ninepence —  The  Milk  Diet— The  Re 
sult  —  A  better  Diet  sought  —  Fifty  Cents  a  Week  the  Maxi 
mum  —  Talk  with  Principal  about  Teaching  School  —  His 
Qualifications  for  it  —  A  Scrape  among  the  Boys — James 
stands  up  for  the  Right  —  A  Profitable  Term,  ....  243 


XVII. 

KEEPING   SCHOOL. 

Looking  up  a  School  — Too  Young  to  Teach— The  Norton  Dis 
trict —  Stopping  over-night  with  the  Family  —  Next  Day's 
Experience  —  Home  again,  Discouraged  —  His  Mother's 
View  of  it  —  Unexpected  Call  for  a  Teacher  —  A  Providen 
tial  Ofter —  Consults  Uncle  Amos  —  The  wise  Decision  — 
Excitement  in  the  District —  First  Day  of  School  —  How 
won  his  Pupils  —  Summing  up  of  the  Winter's  Labor  — 
Boarding  round  —  At  Home  on  Sundays  —  Becomes  a 
Christian — Returns  to  the  Seminary  —  Boards  with  the 
Carpenter — School-keeping  the  next  Winter  —  Teaching 
Geometry — How  his  Trousers  were  torn  and  mended  — 
Close  of  School, 256 


16  CONTENTS. 


XVIII. 
THIRD  YEAR  AT  SCHOOL. 

The  New  England  Graduate  —  A  College  Education  in  View 

—  How  a  Student  Works  his  way  in  College  —  His  Decision 

—  Latin  and  Greek  — Joining  the  Disciples'  Church  —  His 
Eloquence  —  A  Born    Preacher — View  of   Teachers   and 
Scholars  —  Seeking    Work  —  Amusing    Incident    with    a 
Farmer  — Work  and  Pay  —  A  Query  answered  —  The  Anti- 
slavery  Conflict  —  His    Hatred   of    Slavery  —  Discussion 
against  Slavery  in  the  School  Lyceum  —  His  Companions 
Jubilant  over  his  Success  — The  Charming  Young  Lady  and 
James  —  The  Student  of  Eclectic  Institute — James  turned 
to  it — Closing  Connection  with  Geauga  Seminary — His 
First  Oration — Journey  with  his  Mother  to  Muskingum 
County — First    Railroad    seen — State   Capitol — James 
Teaches  School  at  Harrison  —  Return  Home, 270 


XIX. 

THE   ECLECTIC  INSTITUTE. 

Application  to  Trustees — Colloquy — Engages  to  ring  the 
Bell  and  Sweep  Floors  —  Hiram  Described  —  Hindsdale's 
View  of  the  School  —  Interview  with  the  Principal  — 
Roomed  with  four  others  —  Promptness  —  Doing  things 
Well  —  Talk  with  his  Room-mate  —  Testimony  of  another 
Bell-ringer  — A  woman's  Description  of  him  —  Most  "  Pop 
ular"  Student  —  Why — The  Library  and  Reading — His 
Plan  Explained  —  Importance  of  Reading  Systematically — 
Letter  of  James  Six  or  Eight  Years  after  —  The  Spirit 
Stirring  within  him  —  Planting  Trees  on  the  Campus,  and 
their  Names  —  A  Female  Student  Rebuked  —  The  Joke  of 
it— His  keen  Sense  of  Justice  — A  Case, 291 


CONTENTS.  17 


XX. 

STUDENT  AND  TEACHER. 

Promoted  to  Teacher  —  Words  of  President  Hinsdale  — 
Shingling  a  House — James  as  a  Worker —  Extent  of  his 
Carpenter  Work  —  Class  of  Three  in  Geometry — Miss 
Booth  —  In  Class  with  Miss  Booth  —  Their  Studies— What 
they  Accomplished— A  Tribute  to  her  — Discussing  his 
Thesis  all  Night  —  The  Vacation  Literary  Society  —  Relig 
ious  Life  —  Father  Bentley  — James  Preaching  —  Amusing 
Anecdote  —  As  Public  Speaker — In  the  Lyceum — Fugi 
tive-slave  Bill  —  Miss  Rudolph  again  —  An  Important 
Step — In  Social  Life  Valued  —  Proficient  in  Mezzotint 
Drawing  — Versatility  —  Popularity  as  a  Teacher  —  Hins- 
dale's  Testimony  —  Other  Witnesses  —  Bethany  or  Wil 
liams  College  —  His  Decision,  and  Why  —  How  the  Money 
came  —  Summary  of  his  Work  at  Hiram, 307 


XXL 

IN   COLLEGE. 

Appearance  before  Dr.  Hopkins  —  The  Hand-shake  —  Im 
pressions  of  Dr.  H.  —  Enters  Junior  Class  —  Spent  Vaca 
tion  in  Library — Grand  Scenery — Explorations  —  Impres 
sion  he  first  Made  on  the  Students  —  An  Accurate  Scholar 

—  Sticking  to  Things  — In  role  of  Debater  — Testimony  of 
a  Classmate  as  to  Standing  —  German  —  College  Games  — 
Williams  Quarterly--  His  Poem  —Teaching  Penmanship 
in  Vacation  —  Next  Vacation  in  New  York  —  Teacher  and 
Preacher  —  Offered  Post   in   Troy  High   School  —  Argu 
ments  For  and  Against  — The  Suit  of  Clothes —  Trouble 
about  Money — Help  Found  —  Visit  to  his  Mother — Anti- 
slavery  Excitement  —  Charles  Sumner  —  Goodrich's  Speech 

—  Garfield's   Speech  on  Fremont  —  A  greater  one  on  As 
sault  upon  Sumner  —  Reading — Graduates  with  Highest 
Honor  —  Testimony  of  Dr.  Hopkins  and  President  Chad- 
bourne,     32$ 


18  CONTENTS. 


XXII. 
RETURN  TO    HIRAM. 

Teacher  of  Ancient  Languages  and  Literature  —  Only  Eight 
Years  from  Tow-path  —  His  Ambition  —  Heart  at  Hiram  — 
At  Head  of  Institution  —  Principal  —  "  Capturing  Boys"  — 
Garfield's  Account  of  two — What  President  Hinsdale 
says  —  The  Soiled  Place  on  the  Wall  — The  Task  and  Les 
son  from  it  —  Studying  under  Compulsion  —  Punctuality 
and  Promptness  —  Preaching  and  Practice  —  Amusing 
scene — The  Turning-point  of  Life —  His  Numerous  Lect 
ures —  Debate  with  Denton  —  Testimony  of  Rev.  J.  L. 
Darsie — Lectures  on  Teaching  —  The  Drama — An  Imper 
sonator — Speeches  —  Studied  Law — A  Preacher  —  Mar 
ried  Nov.  n,  1858  — The  Books  he  valued  — Commence 
ment  and  Roughs —  More  from  Mr.  Darsie, 348 


XXIII. 

TOP   OF  THE   LADDER. 

Impressed  into  Public  Life  —  Speeches  for  Fremont —  Student 
for  Companion  —  Reply  to  Democratic  Orator  —  Discussion 
with  Hart  —  Offer  to  send  him  to  the  Legislature  —  Deliv 
ers  Oration  at  Williams  College—  His  Trip  —  Offer  of  the 
State  Senatorship  —  Conference  with  Faculty  and  Trustees 

—  Nomination,  Speech,  and  Election  —  Taking  his  Seat  — 
Cox  and  Monroe —  Ranked  High  at  once—  Hinsdale's  Esti 
mate —  Rise  of  Ten  Years  —  Incipient  Rebellion    in   '61  — 
His    Courage,  Ability,  and   Eloquence  —  Abjured  "Peace 
Measures  "  —  Advocated  Fighting  —  War  Inevitable  —  His 
Trumpet-call  —  Mission  to  Missouri  —  Organizing  Regi 
ments—Accepts   Colonelcy— Made    Brigadier-General  — 
Made  Major-General  —  Elected  Representative  to  Congress 

—  Elected  United    States   Senator  —  His  Speech  —  Hins 
dale's  Remarks  on  —  Highest  Round  of  Ladder  but  One 

-Steps  to  the  Top  —  Enthusiasm  over  his  Nomination  for 
President—  His  Election  from  Log-cabin  to  White  House,  365 


CONTENTS. 


XXIV. 

IN   THE   WHITE   HOUSE. 

His  Inauguration  March  4,  1881  —  Snow  Storm — Crowd  of 
Visitors  —  His  Fame  — Meeting  with  Twenty  of  his  Class 
mates  the  Night  before  —  Speech  of  Mr.  Garfield — A 
Hundred  Thousand  ^  People  Present  —  Large  Number  of 
Dignitaries  —  Preparations  at  the  White  House  —  Moving 
to  the  Capitol  —  An  Imposing  Scene  —  Scene  in  the  Senate 
Chamber  —  Diplomatic  Corps  —  Proceeding  to  Platform  at 
the  East  Front  —  Inaugural  Address  —  Kisses  the  Bible, 
his  Aged  Mother,  and  Wife  —  Grand  Military  and  Civic 
Display — Description  by  an  Eye-witness  —  Reviewed  by 
the  President  —  His  Reception  to  the  Williams  College 
Alumni  —  The  Joyful  Evening — His  Administration  Aus 
piciously  Begun  —  Embarrassed  by  a  Democratic  Congress 

—  Opposition  of  Senator  Conkling  and  its  Results  —  The 
People   with   the   President — Contest   in    the   New- York 
Legislature  —  The  President  Sustained, 383 

XXV. 

ASSASSINATION. 

Shot  of  the  Assassin,  July  2  —  Scene  at  the  Depot  —  His  Tele 
gram  to  his  Wife  —  Sad  Tidings  Spread  —  Europe  and 
America  Startled  —  Words  of  Curtis  —  Removal  to  the 
White  House  — The  President's  Salute  to  Friends  — His 
Conversation  —  His  Cheerfulness  —  "I  am  Ready  to  Go" 

—  His  Wife  at  Long  Branch  —  Breaking  the  News  —  Her 
Christian  Bearing  —  Passage  to,  and  Arrival  at,  Washing 
ton —  Meeting    her    Husband  —  Anxiety    for    his    Wife  — 
"Take    that    Chance"  — The   Sabbath   a    Sad    One  — The 
Fourth   of  July  Sadder  —  Words  of  Curtis  —  The  Assassin 
Described  —  His    Letters  —  Profound   Public    Sympathy  — 
Letters,    Telegrams    and    Resolutions   by   the    Hundred  — 
Cablegram  from  Victoria  —  From  Indian  Moses — The  Suf 
ferer's  Words  in  the  late  War  Recalled  —  Hope  Revived  — 
Relapses  —  Third   Relapse,  August  12 —  Hope  Abandoned 

—  Mrs.  Garfield's  Faith  and  Words  —  Universal  Depression 


20  CONTENTS. 


—  Sunday,  August  28,  for  Fasting  and  Prayer —  "  A  Nation 
on  its  Knees"  —  Still  there  is  Hope  —  A  National  Thanks 
giving  —  A  Tribute  from  the  South  —  From  a  Democratic 
Congressman  —  What  the  President  is  Teaching — Mrs. 
Garfield's  Letter  —  Worse  Again  —  Removal  to  Long 
Branch  —  First  Effect  of  Sea  Air — Still  Worse  —  Hope 
Revived  —  Telegram  to  Minister  Lowell 394 

XXVI. 

DEATH  — FUNERAL  CEREMONIES. 
Sudden  Change  —  Death  —  Closing  Scene  —  Mrs.  Garfield 
and  the  Burden-Bearer  —  The  Cabinet  —  Telegram  to 
Arthur— 'To  the  President's  Mother  — To  the  Sons  —  Sad 
Tidings  Spread  —  Bells  Tolling  —  Died  on  Anniversary  of 
Appointment  as  Major-General  —  A  Prophecy  —  Funeral 
Appointed  at  Washington  and  Cleveland  —  Funeral  Train 
to  Washington  —  Lying  in  State  —  Floral  Tributes  —  Mrs. 
Garfield's  Last  Look  —  Obsequies  in  the  Capital — Sable 
Cortege  from  Washington  to  Cleveland  —  Scene  at  Cleve 
land —  Lying  in  State  —  The  Vast  Throng  —  The  Sunday 
Scene  —  Funeral  on  Monday — Services  —  Sermon  —  Gar- 
field's  Favorite  Hymn — Draping  and  Floral  Display  — 
Procession  Seven  Miles  Long  —  At  the  Tomb  —  Garfield's 
words  at  the  close  of  Lincoln's  career  fitting  for  his  own,  .  421 

XXVII. 

INCIDENTS    OF   HIS    MANHOOD. 

Boyhood  in  Manhood  — The  Bible  and  the  War  —  Letter  to  a 
Friend — Tact  and  Thoroughness  in  Drilling  Men  —  Char 
tering  the  Engine — His  First  Scout  —  Canal-boat  Com 
panion  turns  up — Second  Scout  —  The  Hundred  Hiram 
Students  —  The  Turn  of  Battle  —  President  Lincoln's  Ver 
dict —  Famous  Sail,  up  the  Big  Sandy  —  Overcomes  the 
Rebel  Captain  —  What  Became  of  Brown  — His  Famous 
Ride  Through  a  Shower  of  Bullets  — The  Fugitive  Slave 
Safe  with  Him  —  His  Battle  in  Congress  for  a  Draft  —  His 
Reply  to  Alexander  Long  —  His  Fearless  Self-Defence  in  a 
Convention  —  Another  Example  of  his  Courage  —  How  he 
met  Rotten  Eggs  —  Controlling  the  50,000  Men  after  Death 
of  Lincoln  —  Scholar  and  Orator  —  Original  Maxims  and 
Sentiments, 445 


FIRST  DAY  AT  SCHOOL. 

RUMOR  came  to  the  log-cabin  that  a 
school  would  open  soon  at  the  village, 
one-and-a-half  miles  distant.  It  was  only 
a  rumor  at  first,  but  the  rumor  grew  into 
fact  in  the  course  of  a  week. 

"Jimmy  must  go,  mother,"  said  Thomas,  who  was 
nearly  thirteen  years  old,  a  boy  of  heroic  spirit  and 
true  filial  and  fraternal  devotion. 

"Yes,  Jimmy  must  go,"  responded  his  mother, 
with  such  a  smile  as  lights  up  the  face  of  those 
mothers  only  who  think  what  a  treasure  and  joy 
there  is  in  the  little  three-year-old ;  for  Jimmy  had 
not  yet  reached  his  fourth  birthday.  "  I  wish  you 
could  go,  Tom,  also,"  she  added. 

"I  wish  I  could,  too,"  the  thoughtful  lad  replied; 
"but  the  potatoes  would  hardly  be  dug,  and  the  corn 
would  hardly  be  harvested,  nor  the  winter  rye  be 
put  in,  if  I  should  go.  The  girls  and  Jimmy  can  go, 
and  my  work  will  get  us  food  and  clothes."  The 
last  sentence  was  spoken  with  so  much  interest,  as 
if  the  son  and  brother  found  his  highest  pleasure  in 

21 


23  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

being  able  to  run  the  little  farm  alone,  while  his  sis 
ters  and  precious  little  brother  could  attend  school 
together,  that  his  good  mother  could  scarcely  sup 
press  her  honest  pride  over  the  unselfish  and  noble 
boy.  Her  maternal  pride  came  very  near  making 
a' demonstration  and  applying  some  pet  names  to 
Thomas,  but  Her  excellent  judgment,  which  usually 
ruled,  guided-  her 'into  a  wiser  course,  and  she  let  the 
occasion  pass  with  only  a  few  well-chosen  words  of 
approval. 

"  It  is  a  good  chance  for  Jimmy,"  added  Thomas, 
after  a  moment  had  passed,  in  which  remark  his 
mother  saw  the  "  heap  "  of  love  he  had  for  his  little 
brother;  and  every  one  else  would  see  it  now,  too, 
could  they  understand  the  circumstances.  More 
than  one  person  had  remarked  that  Thomas  thought 
a  "  heap  "  of  James. 

It  was  a  busy  time  in  the  cabin,  preparing  the 
children  for  school.  The  girls  and  Thomas  went 
to  school  before  the  family  removed  to  Orange,  so 
that  it  was' not  a  new  thing  to  them.  Besides,  their 
mother  had  taught  them  much.  She  had  made  no 
special  effort  to  teach  James,  except  to  tell  him  Bible 
stones,  and  answer  his  multitudinous  questions  in  her 
instructive  way.  Still  James  knew  nearly  all  his 
letters,  and  was  better  versed  in  Bible  history  than 
most  children  of  his  age  at  the  present  day.  The 
stories  of  the  Ark,  Cain  and  Abel,  Joseph,  Ishmael, 
Isaac,  Jacob,  Absalom,  Daniel,  the  Bethlehem  Babe, 
and  many  others,  were  familiar  to  him  at  that  tim£. 
The  little  fellow  possessed  a  remarkable  memory, 


FIRST  DAY  AT  SCHOOL.  23 

and  he  was  bright  and  sunny,  the  light  and  joy  of 
the  log-cabin.  It  would  not  suffice  to  say  that  his 
mother  thought  that  he  was  particularly  a  bright 
and  talented  boy ;  for  mothers  are  quite  apt  to  think 
very  well  of  their  offspring.  But  when  we  add  that 
Thomas  and  his  sisters,  and  the  neighbors  also,  re 
garded  James  as  a  very  precocious  and  promising  lad, 
the  reader  may  safely  conclude  that  the  hero  of  this 
volume  was  none  of  your  simple-minded  "  children 
of  the  woods  "  —  neither  a  juvenile  drone  nor  igno 
ramus.  He  was  just  the  little  fellow  to  make  music 
at  home  or  in  the  school-house. 

"Jimmy  can't  walk  half  the  way,"  said  Thomas; 
"  he  will  be  tired  to  death  before  he  hardly  gets  out 
of  sight  of  home." 

"  I'll  see  to  that,"  replied  his  sister,  with  an  air  of 
assurance  that  indicated  her  plans  were  all  laid. 
"Jimmy  won't  be  tired." 

"  What  is  going  to  prevent  it?  "  inquired  Thomas. 

"  You'll  see,"  answered  his  sister,  somewhat  eva 
sively,  though  Thomas  knew*  by  her  appearance 
that  there  was  real  significance  in  what  she  said. 

"Well,  what's  up  now,"  added  Thomas,  sure  that 
some  project  was  in  her  head. 

"Nothing  is  up,  except  Jimmy;  he  will  be  up  — 
on  my  back,"  answered  the  brave  girl,  who  had  re 
solved  to  spare  her  lively  little  brother's  legs  by  car 
rying  him  to  school. 

"  Carry  Jimmy  to  school  I  "  exclaimed  Thomas  ; 
"you  will  be  more  tired  than  he  will  be  to  walk.  It 
is  a  bigger  load  than  our  great-grandfather  carried 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  You'll  get  sick  of  that." 


24  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"It  won't  be  the  first  thing  I  am  sick  of  that  I  have 
done,"  was  all  the  girl's  reply. 

We  did  not  mean  to  tell  this  resolute  maid's  unpo- 
etical  name ;  but  we  desire  to  say  something  about 
her,  and  so  we  must  tell  her  name.  It  was  MEHET- 
ABEL.  The  name  was  load  enough  to  carry  to 
school  without  adding  the  burden  of  Jimmy.  Me- 
hetabel  was  fifteen  years  old,  just  such  a  strapping 
girl  as  would  grow  up  in  the  woods,  among  tall 
trees ;  but  she  did  not  merit  such  a  name  as  that.  It 
set  upon  her  better  at  fifteen  than  it  could  have  done 
in  babyhood,  undoubtedly.  Just  think  of  a  baby 
bearing  the  name  of  MEHETABEL  !  We  have  looked 
for  its  origin,  and  find  that  it  belongs  to  the  old  Jew 
ish  dispensation,  and  ought  to  have  been  dumped 
into  oblivion  with  its  lumbering  ceremonials.  But, 
somehow,  it  slid  over  into  the  new  dispensation,  and 
after  the  lapse  of  eighteen  hundred  years  and  more 
it  now  confronts  us  in  Ohio ! 

Well,  the  first  day  of  school  arrived,  and  MEHET- 
ABEL  took  her  two  burdens  —  her  name  and  broth 
er —  and  trudged  off  to  school.  Jimmny  was  mightily 
pleased  with  his  new  mode  of  conveyance,  and  so 
were  the  whole  family ;  and  they  made  a  jolly 
morning  of  it  in  starting  off*  the  pioneer  troupe,  who 
were  only  forty-six  years  distant  from  the  White 
House.  The  log-cabin  smiled  as  it  had  not  smiled 
since  that  terrible  day  of  sorrow,  of  which  we  shall 
soon  speak.  Thomas  was  the  happiest  boy  in  Ohio 
on  that  blessed  morning,  although  he  did  not  know 
it ;  and  he  went  to  work  with  fresh  vigor  and  deter- 


FIRST  DAY  AT  SCHOOL.  25 

mination,  splendid  fellow  that  he  was.  While  the 
children  are  in  school,  and  Thomas  is  driving  work 
on  the  farm,  and  the  good  mother  is  having  a  lonely 
day  in  the  cabin,  with  her  spinning-wheel,  we  will 
stop  to  tell  how  this  family  came  to  be  in  the  woods 
of  Ohio,  and  add  some  definite  information  about 
the  father. 

In  the  year  1799  Thomas  Garfield  was  a  farmer 
in  Worcester,  Otsego  County,  N.  Y.  That  year  a 
son  was  born  to  him,  to  whom  he  gave  the  name  of 
Abram.  Thirty -two  years  afterwards,  this  son 
Abram  became  the  father  of  James  A.  Garfield. 

Before  Abram  was  two  years  old,  his  father  sud 
denly  sickened  and  died,  leaving  his  wife  and 
several  children  penniless,  —  a  sorrow  that.was  sin 
gularly  repeated  in  the  life  of  Abram,  who  died,  as 
we  shall  see,  whem  James  was  less  than  two  years 
of  age,  leaving  his  wife  and  four  children  to  battle 
with  the  hardships  of  life.  It  was  not  possible  for 
Abram's  mother  to  keep  the  family  together  and 
provide  for  so  many  mouths ;  so  a  neighbor,  James 
Stone,  took  Abram  into  his  family,  and  reared  him 
as  one  of  his  own  children. 

When  the  lad  was  ten  years  old,  widow  Ballou 
removed  into  the  neighborhood,  from  New  Hamp 
shire.  Mrs.  Ballou  had  a  daughter,  Eliza,  about  a 
year  younger  than  Abram,  a  very  bright,  promis 
ing  girl.  Abram  and  Eliza  became  playmates,  and 
thought  very  much  of  each  other. 

Eliza  was  fourteen  years  old  when  her  mother 


26  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

conceived  the  idea  of  emigrating  to  Ohio,  which 
was  then  the  "  Far  West,"  and  great  stories  were 
told  about  its  prolific  soil  and  future  wealth.  Emi 
grants  from  New  York,  and  also  from  the  New 
England  States,  were  removing  thither  in  consider 
able  numbers.  James  Ballou,  her  son,  now  a  young 
man,  saw  emigrant  wagons  passing  through  New 
York,  or  starting  from  it,  their  destination  being 
Ohio,  and  became  more  enthusiastic  than  his  mother 
to  go.  At  last  she  decided  to  remove  thither,  sold 
her  little  farm,  packed  her  household  goods  into  an 
emigrant  wagon,  and  with  her  children  started  for 
the  West.  Abram  was  a  lonely  boy  when  Eliza  left., 
and  the  two  separated  regretfully. 

It  was  a  long  and  tiresome  journey  of  six  weeks, — 
a  trip  that  could  be  accomplished  now  in  twelve 
hours.  The  family  were  in  the  wagon,  except  when 
the  wagon  was  stuck  in  the  mud,  and  they  were 
compelled  to  unload,  and,  with  levers,  lift  it  out. 
The  roads  were  fearfully  bad,  without  a  bridge  over 
a  single  river ;  so  they  had  streams  to  ford,  swamps 
to  wade,  and  quagmires  to  avoid,  enough  to  test  the 
courage  and  patience  of  the  most  experienced  woman 
and  the  bravest  girl.  On  the  way  James  shot  game, 
so  that  there  was  no  lack  of  food.  At  length  they 
reached  Zanesville,  Muskingum  County,  one  of  the 
oldest  settlements  in  Ohio  at  that  time ;  and  there 
they  settled. 

About  five  years  later  Abram  Garfield  took  the 
"Ohio  fever,"  as  it  was  called,  or  else  the  memory 
of  the  fair-haired  maiden  inspired  him  to  nobler 


FIRST  DAY  AT  SCHOOL. 


deeds,  and  he,  too,  started  for  the  West,  —  a  young 
man  of  twenty  years,  hopeful,  fearless,  ambitious, 
and  smart.  He  found  work  in  Newburg,  near  Cleve 
land.  Cleveland  was  then  only  a  small  collection  of 
log-cabins,  containing  about  one  hundred  people. 
Newburg  was  newer  and  more  isolated.  But,  for 
some  reason,  the  young  adventurer  selected  the  latter 
place  for  his  home. 

It  is  quite  evident  that  he  not  only  worked,  but 
cast  about  to  learn  something  of  the  maiden  he  could 
not  forget.  For  he  learned,  after  a  time,  that  the 
Ballou  family  were  at  Zanesville,  whither  he  wended 
his  way  on  a  visit,  as  soon  as  possible.  The  family 
gave  him  a  hearty  greeting,  especially  Eliza,  who 
had  grown  into  a  winsome  damsel  of  almost  nineteen. 
That  Abram  was  glad  to  see  her  would  be  a  tame 
way  of  stating  the  fact.  If  Eliza  had  constituted  all 
the  "  Far  West  "  there  was  at  that  time,  Abram  would 
have  been  fascinated  by  the  country,  making  no  ac 
count  at  all  of  New  York  in  the  comparison.  With 
out  stretching  out  the  tale  into  a  "long  yarn,"  it  will 
suffice  to  say,  that  Eliza  just  filled  Abrarn's  eye,  and 
m  less  than  two  years  from  that  time  became  his  wife. 
They  were  married  February  3,  1821,  and  repaired 
at  once  to  his  chosen  home,  Newburg,  where  a  log- 
cabin,  eighteen  by  twenty  feet,  containing  but  one 
.room,  awaited  them.  It  was  a  very  humble  abode, 
but  true  love  put  as  much  happiness  into  it  as  could 
have  been  there  if  it  had  been  a  palace.  The  cabin 
was  destitute  of  sash  or  glass,  though  places  for 
three  windows,  covered  with  greased  paper,  admit- 


28  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

ted  light.  Greased  paper  was  a  common  substitute 
for  glass,  and  was  the  "stained-glass"  of  that  day. 
The  furniture  was  manufactured  by  her  noble  hus 
band,  o£  whom  shie  was  as  proud  as  he  was  of  her; 
and  it  was  the  latest  style  of  that  region,  therefore 
fashionable.  It  consisted  of  several  three-legged 
stools,  a  puncheon  table,  a  bed  in  one  corner,  con 
structed  of  poles  and  slabs,  a  frying-pan,  one  iron 
pot,  two  wooden  plates,  with  knives  and  forks  to 
match,  and  a  "Dutch  oven,"  which  was  simply  a 
kettle  with  a  rimmed  cover,  on  which  live  coals  were 
laid.  Here  James  A.  Garfield's  father  began  life  in 
earnest,  and  here  he  lived  nine  years,  during  which 
time  three  of  his  children  were  born.  He  tilled  the 
soil,  and  also  at  two  different  times  took  contracts 
on  the  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  Canal,  which  was  in 
process  of  construction. 

The  young  adventurer  was  not  satisfied,  however. 
His  growing  family  demanded  larger  provision  for 
the  future,  so  he  purchased  fifty  acres  of  land,  at 
two  dollars  an  acre,  in  Orange,  Cuyahoga  County, 
seventeen  miles  from  the  first  home  of  his  wedded 
life.  He  selected  this  locality  because  Amos  Boyn- 
ton,  whose  wife  was  sister  to  Mrs.  Garfield,  had  pur 
chased  a  tract  there ;  and  the  families  could  remove 
thither  together.  One  log-cabin  was  erected  first, 
in  which  both  fa.milies  lived,  thick  as  "three  in  a 
bed/'  until  another  cabin  could  be  built.  When 
these  cabins  were  built  the  nearest  neighbor  was 
seven  miles  away.  It  was  January,  1830,  when 
Abram  Garfield  removed  to  this  new  home  in  the 


FIRST  DAY  AT  SCHOOL. 


wilderness.  His  cabin  was  larger  and  more  substan 
tial  than  the  one  he  left.  It  was  twenty  by  thirty 
feet,  made  of  unhewn  logs,  notched  and  laid  one 
upon  another,  in  what  boys  call  the  "  cob-house  " 
style,  to  the  height  of  twelve  feet  or  more  in  front, 
and  eight  feot  or  more  on  the  back  side.  The  spaces 
between  the  logs  were  filled  with  clay  or  mud,  mak 
ing  a  warm  abode  for  winter,  and  a  cool  one  for 
summer. 

The  chimney  was  constructed  of  wood  and  mud, 
rising  from  the  roof  like  a  pyramid,  smallest  at  the 
top.  The  roof  was  covered  with  slabs,  held  in  place 
by  long  weight-poles.  The  floor  was  made  of  logs, 
each  split  into  two  parts  and  laid  the  flat  side  up, 
hewn  smooth  with  an  axe.  There  was  a  loft  above, 
to  which  the  family  ascended  by  a  sort  of  perma 
nent  ladder  in  one  corner  of  the  cabin.  The  chil 
dren  slept  upon  the  floor  of  the  loft,  on  straw  beds. 
The  only  door  of  the  dwelling  was  made  of  plank  ; 
and  three  small  windows  furnished  all  the  light  pos 
sible,  though  not  so  much  as  was  needed.  This, 
briefly,  was  the  pioneer  home  in  which  James  A. 
Garfield  was  born,  on  the  ipth  day  of  November, 
1831,  and  from  which  he  went  forth  to  his  first  day 
at  school,  as  already  described. 

Abram  Garfield  was  a  tall,  heavy,  handsome  man, 
capable  of  great  endurance  ;  just  the  man  to  plunge 
into  a  wilderness  to  make  a  home  and  clear  land 
for  a  farm.  He  possessed  the  strength,  will,  and 
wisdom  for  such  an  enterprise.  His  brain  was  in 
fair  proportion  to  his  body,  large  and  active,  making 


30  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

him  a  strong-minded  man;,  and,  under  other  and 
more  favorable  circumstances,  he  might  have  made 
a  broad  and  deep  mark  on  his  day  and  generation. 
But  he  thought  of  little  except  his  family  in  that  day 
of  hardship  and  want,  and  so  he  chose  a  home  and 
occupation  where  honor  and  fame  were  out  of  the 
question.  But,  with  all  his  physical  strength,  the 
loving  husband  and  father  was  not  exempt  from  the 
attacks  of  disease.  One  day,  in  the  midst  of  his 
hard  toil,  he  heard  the  alarm  of  "Fire  in  the  forest." 
Forest  fires  were  common  in  summer  time,  and  often 
large  tracts  of  woods  were  burned  over ;  and  some 
times  pioneer  cabins  were  destroyed,  and  the  crops 
on  little  farms  in  the  wilderness  were  injured. 

"It  is  coming  this  way  certainly,"  said  Mr.  Gar- 
field  with  some  anxiety,  after  satisfying  himself  as 
to  the  danger.  w  I'm  afraid  it  will  make  trouble  for 
us.  Mehetabel,  run  to  the  house  with  my  axe,  and 
bring  me  the  shovel." 

The  girl  was  assisting  her  father.  Within  five 
minutes  Mr.  Garfield  had  the  shovel,  and  Mrs. 
Garfield,  and  all  the  children  except  the  baby,  were 
out  to  watch  the  fire. 

"We  must  fight  it,"  said  Mr.  Garfield,  "or  only 
ashes  will  be  left  of  our  home  at  sundown." 

"I  fear  as  much,"  replied  Mrs.  Garfield.  "These 
forest  fires  are  terrible." 

"  Mehetabel,  you  and  Thomas  follow  me  ;  "  and 
he  ran  across  the  house-lot  to  the  edge  of  the  woods 
to  prevent  the  fiery  demon  from  attacking  his  hab 
itation. 


FIRST  DAY  AT  SCHOOL.  3 1 


Thomas  and  his  sister  followed.  The  fire  reached 
the  spot  almost  as  soon  as  they  did,  and  the  battle 
with  it  began.  It  was  a  long  and  hard  fight.  Mr. 
Garfield  met  the  enemy  with  all  the  vigor  of  a  fa 
ther  contending  for  his  children.  He  fully  realized 
what  their  situation  would  be  if  the  sun  should  go 
down  upon  the  ruins  of  their  home,  and  the  thought 
impelled  him  to  superhuman  efforts.  For  nearly 
two  hours,  in  the  burning  sun  of  a  hot  July  day,  he 
fought  the  fire  with  his  strong  arm.  Sometimes  the 
battle  seemed  to  turn  in  favor  of  the  fiery  element, 
and  again  the  resolute  pioneer  appeared  to  have  the 
advantage  over  it.  At  last,  however,  the  fire  was 
conquered,  or  rather,  was  prevented  from  devouring 
the  little  cabin  and  desolating  the  crops,  though  it 
swept  on  beyond  the  farm,  whither  the  wind  drove  it. 

Thoroughly  heated  and  exhausted,  Mr.  Garfield 
sat  down  upon  a  stump  to  rest,  and  enjoy  the  cool, 
refreshing  breeze  that  sprang  up  from  the  West. 
He  did  not  dream  that  he  was  exposing  his  health 
by  sitting,  covered  with  perspiration,  in  that  cool 
wind.  But  that  night  he  was  seized  violently  by 
congestion  of  the  throat,  and  his  stout  frame  writhed 
in  pain,  threatening  speedy  dissolution.  As  early 
in  the  morning  as  possible,  Mehetabel  was  posted 
away  to  Mr.  Boynton's,  and  Thomas  to  a  neighbor 
in  another  direction,  for  their  assistance.  There 
was  no  physician  within  many  miles ;  but  one  of 
the  neighbors  summoned  claimed  to  possess  some 
medical  knowledge,  and  the  patient  was  passed 
over  into  his  hands,  substantially,  after  he  arrived. 


32  LOG-CABIN   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

He  applied  a  blister,  thereby  aggravating  the  dis 
ease,  and  hurrying  the  sick  man  to  his  grave.  Mrs. 
Garfield  did  all  that  true  love  and  remarkable  effi 
ciency  could  do  to  save  her  husband,  but  her  tender 
and  faithful  ministrations  were  fruitless ;  he  sank 
rapidly,  and  at  last  died  without  a  struggle.  His 
last  words  were,  looking  upon  his  children,  and 
then  addressing  his  wife  : 

"  I  have  planted  four  saplings  in  these  woods  ;  I 
must  now  leave  them  to  your  care." 

Oh,  what  a  dark  pall  settled  upon  that  abode  !  A 
happier  family  never  dwelt  in  a  palace  than  was 
found  in  that  cabin.  And  now  the  burden  of  sor 
row  that  rested  upon  the  widowed  wife  and  fatherless 
children  was  gauged  by  the  greatness  of  bereaved 
affection.  Little  James  was  but  eighteen  months 
old  when  his  father  died  —  too  young  to  understand 
the  irreparable  loss,  or  to  feel  the  pangs  of  grief 
that  well-nigh  crushed  other  hearts.  It  was  well 
that  his  baby-spirit  could  not  take  in  the  sorrow  of 
that  hour  ;  there  was  anguish  enough  in  that  stricken 
home  without  adding  his  touching  wail  thereto. 

The  neighbors  came,  what  few  there  were  (only 
four  or  five  families  within  a  radius  often  miles), 
and  sympathized  and  wept  with  the  widow  and 
fatherless  ones.  With  their  assistance  the  lifeless 
remains  were  enclosed  in  a  rough  box,  and  borne 
out  through  the  low  doorway,  and  buried  in  a  cor 
ner  of  the  wheat-field,  near  by.  No  sermon,  no  re 
marks,  no  prayers,  except  the  silent  prayers  that 
went  up  for  grace  from  aching  hearts  I  Reader, 


FIRST  DAY  AT  SCHOOL.  33 

you  will  never  know,  you  never  can  know,  nobody 
can  ever  know,  except  by  the  dreadful  experience, 
what  the  death  and  burial  of  a  loved  one  is  in  the 
wilderness,  amid  the  gloom  and  silence  of  primeval 
forests.  That  bereaved  widow  still  lives,  and  after 
the  lapse  of  nearly  fifty  years  she  bears  the  marks 
of  that  great  sorrow.  A  kind  Providence  that  "  tem 
pers  the  wind  to  the  shorn  lamb  "  has  wonderfully 
sustained  her,  and  she  has  found  her  Saviour  to  be  as 
"  the  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in  a  weary  land.''*  Still 
the  brow  of  almost  eighty  years  is  furrowed  by  the 
severity  of  that  affliction. 

An  incident  should  be  recorded  here.  It  occurred  a 
short  time  before  Mr.  Garfield's  death ;  and  he  was 
reading  a  volume  of  Plutarch's  "Lives,"  with  James 
in  his  lap.  The  latter  could  speak  the  words, 
"  papa,"  "  mamma,"  and  others.  "  Say  Plutarch," 
said  his  father.  James  repeated  it  very  distinctly. 
"  Say  it  again,"  continued  Mr.  Garfield.  James  re 
peated  it  plainly,  as  before,  and  continued  to  repeat 
it.  Looking  up  to  his  wife,  Mr.  Garfield  remarked, 
with  a  true  father's  love  and  pride,  "  Eliza,  this  boy 
will  be  a  scholar  some  day  !  " 

Winter  was  approaching ;  and  winter  in  the  wil 
derness,  especially  when  the  stalwart  arm  upon 
which  loved  ones  depend  for  support  and  defence 
is  palsied  in  death,  is  not  calculated  to  dispel -gloom 
from  a  dwelling.  Could  human  experience  be  more 
dreary  than  when  a  woman  is  left  a  widow,  alone 
with  her  children,  in  a  wilderness  swept  by  wintry 
storms ;  and  that  affliction  intensified  by  extreme 
3 


34 


LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 


poverty,  so  that  economy  and  careful  planning  are 
needful  to  keep  the  wolf  of  hunger  from  the  door? 
What  a  winter  it  was  !  The  snow  lay  deep  and 
heavy  upon  the  earth,  burying  the  sacred  mound  in 
the  corner  of  the  wheat-field  out  of  sight,  and  the  high 
winds  moaned  through  the  naked  forests  as  if  wail 
ing  for  the  dead.  The  howl  of  wolves  and  the  cry 
of  panthers  never  sounded  so  terrible  as  they  did 
during  those  long,  desolate,  wintry  nights.  The 
children,  realizing  the  loneliness  of  their  situation, 
now  that  their  strong  protector  was  dead,  would  lie 
awake  at  night  to  listen  tremblingly  to  the  howls 
and  cries  of  these  hungry  animals,  at  the  very  door 
of  their  cabin.  Sometimes  it  seemed  to  them  that 
the  panthers  knew  their  courageous  father  was  ly 
ing  dead  in  the  wheat-field,  and  so  they  ventured  to 
come  to  the  very  door  to  moan  and  cry,  as  famishing 
children  cry  for  bread.  Baby  James,  however,  slept 
on,  oblivious  alike  to  the  sorrows  and  perils  of  the 
hour.  God  was  keeping  him  against  the  night  of 
national  danger,  when  he  would  listen  to  the  yell  of 
the  wolves  of  plunder  at  the  door  of  the  republic. 
That  winter,  alone  in  the  almost  pathless  forest, 
with  the  warring  elements  and  beasts  of  prey  unit 
ing  to  make  desolation  more  desolate,  could  not 
have  had  more  sad  thoughts,  bitter  tears,  hours  of 
loneliness,  and  blasted  hopes,  crowded  into  it  than 
were  the  natural  outcome  of  the  direful  situation. 

It  seemed  to  the  weary  ones  that  spring  would 
never  return  ;  but  it  did,  after  a  long,  never-to-be- 
forgotten  winter.  And  spring  swept  the  snow  and 


FIRST  DAY  AT  SCHOOL. 


35 


ice,  and  the  streams  ran  singing  again,  and  the  dead 
things  of  the  field  and  forest  returned  to  life,  save 
only  the  dead  in  the  corner  of  the  wheat-field. 
There  was  no  resurrection  there ;  and  so  hope  was 
not  revived  in  the  cabin,  and  a  gloomy  outlook 
made  even  spring-time  sad.  There  was  no  money 
in  the  house,  and  there  was  a  debt  on  the  farm. 
Food,  also,  was  running  low ;  and  the  widowed 
mother  might  hear  her  children  cry  for  bread. 
What  could  she  do?  Leaving  the  children  still  at 
at  school,  we  will  continue  the  story  of  her  suffer 
ings. 


II. 

BEFORE   SCHOOL-DAYS. 

|N  her  strait  Widow  Garfield  sought  the 
advice  of  neighbor  Boynton,  whose  real 
kindness  had  been  a  solace  to  her  heart. 
He  said  : 

"  No  woman  with  four  children  can  carry  on  a 
farm  like  this  alone,  and  support  her  family.  I  see 
no  possible  way  out  of  your  trouble  except  to  sell 
your  place  and  return  to  your  friends." 

"And  leave  my  husband  in  the  wheat-field?"  re 
sponded  Mrs.  Garfield.  "Never;  I  can't  do  that." 

"  But  what  else  can  you  do?"  continued  the  neigh 
bor. 

Looking  at  the  circumstances  squarely,  with  her 
accustomed  good  sense  and  courageous  spirit,  she 
answered  : 

"When  I  have  sold,  paid  the  debts  and  the  ex 
pense  of  removal  to  my  friends,  I  shall  have  little  or 
nothing  left,  and  that,  too,  without  a  rod  of  land  on 
which  to  raise  corn  to  make  a  loaf." 
•  "Your  friends  could  help  you,"  suggested  the 
neighbor. 

36 


BEFORE  SCHOOLDAYS.  37 

"  I  can  never  cast  myself  upon  the  charity  of 
friends,"  Mrs.  Garfield  replied,  with  an  emphasis 
that  showed  she  meant  what  she  said.  "So  long  as 
I  have  my  health  I  believe  that  my  Heavenly  Father 
will  bless  these  two  hands  so  as  to  support  m}  chil 
dren.  My  dear  husband  made  this  home  at  the  sac 
rifice  of  his  life,  and  every  log  in  this  cabin  is  sacred 
to  me  now.  It  seems  to  me  like  a  holy  trust,  that 
I  must  preserve  as  faithfully  as  I  would  guard  his 
grave." 

The  heroism  that  came  out  through  these  words 
was  worthy  of  a  Revolutionary  matron ;  and  the 
woman's  fortitude  fairly  drew  tears  from  the  eyes  of 
the  neighbor. 

"  Then  you  would  not  sell  your  farm  any  way  ?  * 
added  the  neighbor,  inquiringly. 

"  Not  all  of  it,"  she  replied.  "  Part  of  it  might 
go  ;  enough  to  pay  the  debt." 

"I  never  thought  of  that,"  answered  the  neighbor. 
"  Perhaps  that  is  the  way  out  of  your  trouble.  Better 
think  that  over,  and  I  will.  I'll  look  about,  too,  and 
see  what  can  be  done  by  way  of  selling  a  part  of  it." 

The  ^neighbor  left,  and  Mrs.  Gariield  went  imme 
diately  to  a  greater  than  he,  where  she  had  often 
been  in  her  want  and  woe  for  counsel.  On  her 
knees  in  one  corner  of  the  cabin  she  laid  her  case 
before  God,  and  promised  to  follow  His  guidance  if 
He  would  only  make  duty  plain.  God  did  make  it 
plain  as  day  to  her.  She  arose  from  her  knees 
without  a  doubt  in  her  heart.  She  was  happier  than 
she  had  been  any  time  since  death  darkened  her 


38  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

home.  She  felt  like  singing  the  twenty-seventh 
Psalm  :  "  The  Lord  is  my  light  and  my  salvation ; 
whom  shall  I  fear?  the  lord  is  the  strength  of  my 
life  ;  of  whom  shall  I  be  afraid  ?  " 

Calling  Thomas,  who  was  not  quite  eleven  years 
old,  but  now  the  only  male  dependence  on  the  farm, 
she  laid  the  case  before  him,  as  if  he  had  been  a 
man  of  thirty  years,  and  the  resolute  and  trusty  boy 
replied : 

"I  can  plow  and  plant,  mother.  I  can  sow  the 
wheat,  too,  and  cut  the  wood,  milk  the  cows,  and  do 
heaps  of  things  for  you." 

"You  are  a  small  boy  to  do  so  much,"  responded 
his  mother ;  "  but  with  my  help  perhaps  it  can  be 
done.  God  has  promised  to  be  with  the  widow  and 
fatherless.  I  don't  feel  that  I  can  move  away  from 
this  place." 

"We  needn't,"  Thomas  said,  quickly.  "I  want 
to  live  here,  and  I  will  work  real  hard." 

"Not  too  hard,  my  son,  lest  there  be  two  graves 
instead  of  one  in  the  corner  of  the  wheat-field,"  an 
swered  Mrs.  Garfield,  with  much  emotion.  "We 
must  finish  the  fence  around  the  wheat,  and  that  will 
be  very  hard  work ;  but  I  think  that  I  can  split  the 
rails,  and  together  we  can  set  the  fence." 

"And  I  can  finish  the  barn,  I  know,"  added 
Thomas.  His  father  had  partially  fenced  the  wheat- 
field,  and  had  been  putting  up  a  small  barn,  which 
was  nearly  completed. 

And  so  the  whole  subject  was  canvassed,  and  plans 
laid,  in  the  full  expectation  of  remaining  on  the  pio- 


BEFORE  SCHOOLDA  YS.  39 

neer  farm.  Nor  did  the  widow  have  to  wait  long  to 
sell  a  portion  of  her  land.  Settlers  were  coming 
into  that  part  of  Ohio  occasionally,  and  one  of  them 
heard,  through  the  neighbor  spoken  of,  that  Mrs. 
Garfield  would  dispose  of  part  of  her  land.  He 
lost  no  time  in  finding  her  humble  abode,  and  at 
once  bargained  with  her  for  twenty  acres,  paying 
cash  for  the  same.  With  this  money  she  paid  all 
the  debts,  although  it  took  the  last  dollar  to  remove 
this  incumbrance. 

Spring  was  fairly  upon  them  when  the  sale  was 
effected,  so  that  she  and  Thomas  proceeded  at  once 
to  put  the  little  farm  in  order.  He  procured  a  horse 
of  the  nearest  neighbor,  who  was  generous  enough 
to  offer  him  the  use  of  the  animal,  and  prepared  the 
ground  for  wheat,  corn,  arid  potatoes,  and  a  small 
garden  for  vegetables.  It  was  truly  wonderful  to 
witness  the  tact  and  endurance  of  this  boy-farmer  of 
ten  years,  toiling  from  early  morning  till  night  set 
in,  his  young  heart  bounding  with  delight  over  his 
ability  to  assist  his  widowed  mother.  Without  any 
assistance,  except  such  as  his  mother,  and  sister  of 
twelve  years,  rendered,  he  did  the  planting  and 
sowing  in  a  style  that  assured  a  good  harvest  in  the 
autumn. 

At  the  same  time  his  mother  prepared  the  fence 
for  the  wheat-field.  She  found  trees  in  the  forest 
already  felled,  and  she  split  the  rails,  every  one  of 
them,  severe  as  the  labor  was,  sometimes  almost 
exhausting  her  strength,  and  always  making  a  large 
draft  upon  her  nerves.  But  the  necessity  was  laid 


40  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

upon  her,  and  she  stopped  not  to  inquire,  as  she 
did  in  the  case  of  Thomas,  whether  there  might 
not  be  another  grave  in  the  wheat-field  at  no  distant 
period.  Before  July  the  house-lot,  which  was  the 
small  plat  of  cleared  land  sowed  and  planted,  was 
fenced  in,  and  the  little  farm  was  doing  well.  There 
was  no  school  for  Thomas  and  his  sisters  to  attend, 
so  that  he  had  all  the  time  there  was  from  morning 
until  night  to  labor,  and  wait  —  wait  for  the  seed  to 
grow.  He  did  his  work,  apparently,  with  as  much 
ease  and  efficiency  as  a  young  man  of  twenty  would 
have  done  it. 

But  another  trial  awaited  the  afflicted  family.  Food 
was  becoming  scarce,  and  no  money  to  purchase 
more.  An  examination  satisfied  the  widow  that  the 
corn  would  be  exhausted  long  before  harvest  unless 
the  family  were  put  upon  a  daily  allowance.  So, 
without  speaking  of  this  new  trial  to  her  children, 
she  counted  the  number  of  weeks  and  days  to  har 
vest-time,  and  estimated  the  amount  of  corn  that 
would  be  required  each  day.  To  her  surprise  and 
grief,  a  fair  daily  allowance  would  exhaust  the  bin 
of  corn  before  harvest.  She  took  in  the  situation  at 
once,  and,  bravely  and  quickly  as  a  general  on  the 
field  of  battle,  decided  she  would  forego  supper  her 
self  that  the  children  might  have  enough.  For  a 
while  the  devoted  mother  lived  upon  two  meals 
a  day,  though  working  harder  than  she  had  ever 
worked  any  previous  summer ;  for  she  assisted 
Thomas  on  the  farm  to  the  extent  of  her  strength, 
and  even  beyond  her  strength. 


BEFORE  SCHOOLDA  VS. 


A  few  weeks  elapsed,  and  the  doting  mother  dis 
covered  some  mistake  in  her  calculations,  and  she 
was  startled  to  find  that  present  daily  allowance  of 
corn  would  consume  the  last  ear  before  the  new 
crop  could  be  gathered.  Without  a  murmur,  and 
with  a  martyr  spirit,  she  resolved  to  forego  dinner ; 
and  from  that  time  until  harvest  she  indulged  in 
but  one  meal  a  day.  All  this  self-denial  was  prac 
ticed  in  a  manner  to  conceal  it  as  much  as  possible 
from  the  children.  They  were  growing  and  hearty, 
and  Thomas  especially  needed  substantial  food,  since 
he  was  doing  almost  a  man's  labor.  Seldom  was  a 
pioneer  family  found  in  more  straitened  circum 
stances  in  mid-summer  than  wras  Widow  Garfield's 
in  the  year  1834.  Had  not  the  spirit  of  a  Revolution 
ary  matron  presided  over  that  cabin,  and  the  grace 
of  Him  who  does  not  suffer  a  sparrow  to  fall  without 
his  notice  sustained  the  presiding  genius,  the  history 
of  that  family  would  have  closed  that  year  in  the 
forests  of  Ohio. 

But  the  harvest  came,  and  a  blessed  harvest  it 
was !  The  crops  were  abundant,  and  of  excellent 
quality.  Want  fled  at  the  sight  of  the  bending 
sheaves  and  golden  ears.  The  dear  mother  had 
come  off  conqueror  in  her  long  contest  with  the  wolf 
of  hunger,  and  her  heart  overflowed  with  gratitude 
to  the  Great  Giver.  The  twenty-third  Psalm  had 
new  significance  in  that  log-cabin, — "The  Lord  is 
my  shepherd,  I  shall  not  want,"  etc.,  —  and  the 
grateful  mother  repeated  it  over  and  over,  from  day 
to  day,  as  the  real  language  of  her  soul  in  the  hour 


42  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

of  deliverance  from  distressing  want.     The  first  full 

C? 

meal  which   the    abundant   harvest  brought  was  a 

O 

benison  to  that  household,  and  never  again  did  hun 
ger  and  starvation  threaten  to  destroy  them. 

We  have  told  the  reader  somewhat  about  the 
father  of  this  family,  and  now  that  so  much  has  been 
said  of  the  mother  we  need  to  say  more.  We  stop 
here  to  record  briefly  some  facts  of  her  early  history. 

She  \vas  a  descendant  of  Maturin  Ballou,  a  Hu 
guenot  of  France,  who  was  driven  from  that  country 
on  the  revocation  of  the  edict  of  Nantes.  He  joined 
the  colony  of  Roger  Williams  and  came  to  America, 
settling  in  Cumberland,  R.  I.  There  he  built  a 
church,  which  still  stands,  and  is  carefully  pre 
served  as  a  relic  of  the  past.  It  is  known  as  the 
"Elder  Ballon  Meeting-house."  When  it  was  built 
there  were  no  saw-mills  in  the  country,  and  no  nails, 
and  few  tools  to  work  with,  so  that  the  old  "  meeting 
house  "  is  a  great  curiosity.  Its  galleries  and  pews 
are  he\vn  out  of  solid  logs,  and  put  together  with 
wooden  pegs.  Even  its  floor  was  hewn  out  of  logs, 
and  fastened  down  with  wooden  pegs.  Here  Ma 
turin  Ballou  preached  the  gospel  while  he  lived, 
and  was  followed  by  his  son,  then  his  grandson, 
then  his  great-grandson,  and  so  on  to  the  tenth 
generation.  A  race  of  preachers  sprang  from  this 
pioneer  minister.  In  one  family  of  the  Ballous  the 
father  and  four  sons  were  clergymen ;  then  followed 
three  grandsons,  one  great-grandson,  and  one  great- 
great-grandson,  all  from  one  branch.  There  were 
also  many  lawyers,  doctors,  and  other  public  men 


BEFORE  SCHOOLDAYS.  43 

among  the  Ballous,  eminent  for  their  talents  and 
remarkable  force  of  character.  Some  of  them  fig- 

o 

ured  in  the  American  Revolution,  both  as  officers 
and  privates,  as  heroic  and  efficient  in  war  as  they 
were  renowned  in  peace.  They  were  a  conscien 
tious  people,  and  one  of  them,  who  preached  in  the 
old  meeting-house  about  the  year  1775,  would  not 
receive  any  salary  for  his  services.  He  protested 
against  being  a  "  hireling."  And  yet  he  was  so  poor 
that  one  of  his  sons  was  forced  to  learn  to  write  upon 
"birch-bark,  in  lieu  of  paper,  and  use  charcoal,  in 
stead  of  pen  and  ink."  This  son  was  the  celebrated 
Hosea  Ballou,  founder  of  Universalism  in  the  United 
States.  His  father  broke  away  from  the  Cumber 
land  fold  before  Hosea  was  born,  and  removed  to 
New  Hampshire,  \vhere  he  settled.  A  cousin, 
James  Ballou,  emigrated  thither  with  him,  married, 
and  became  the  father  of  Eliza  Ballou,  who,  as  we 
have  seen,  is  the  mother  of  James  A.  Garfield. 

It  is  not  difficult,  therefore,  to  discover  the  origin 
of  Mrs.  Garfield's  (mother  of  James)  great  fortitude, 
indomitable  perseverance,  tact,  talents,  and  large 
executive  ability.  Were  she  otherwise,  she  would 
not  fairly  represent  the  long  line  of  illustrious  ances 
tors  whose  record  is  found  upon  two  hundred  years, 
and  more,  of  our  nation's  history. 

In  the  spring  of  1835,  a  family  moved  into  the 
vicinity,  which  proved  of  great  benefit  to  the  Gar- 
fields.  They  had  sewing  to  be  done,  and  Mrs.  Gar- 
field  was  glad  of  the  opportunity  to  do  it.  A  boy 
was  needed,  also,  to  plough  and  chop  occasionally. 


44  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

and  Thomas  found  it  a  good  opportunity  to  earn  a 
little  money  for  his  mother.  It  was  additional  sun 
shine  let  into  the  log-cabin. 

It  was  an  era  when  Thomas  brought  home  the 
first  money  that  he  earned.  A  happier  boy  never 
crossed  a  threshold  than  he  was  when  he  handed 
the  avails  of  his  labor  to  his  mother,  saying : 

"  Now  the  shoemaker  can  come  and  make  Jimmy 
a  pair  of  shoes." 

"  Certainly,"  answered  his  mother  ;  "  and  he  will 
be  indebted  to  you  for  the  first  pair  of  shoes  that  he 
ever  wore.  You'll  never  be  sorry." 

"I  never  expect  to  be  sorry,"  replied  Thomas. 
"Jimmy  ought  to  have  had  a  pair  a  long  time  ago, 
and  he  would  have  had  a  pair  if  there  had  been  any 
way  for  me  to  earn  them." 

"Well,  you  can  send  word  to  the  shoemaker  as 
soon  as  you  please,"  continued  his  mother;  "the 
quicker  the  better." 

James  was  three  and  a  half  years  old  at  that  time, 
and  he  had  not  known  the  luxury  of  a  pair  of  shoes, 
no,  not  even  in  the  winter.  To  come  into  the  pos 
session  of  the  first  pair  of  shoes  in  these  circum 
stances,  was  an  event  of  great  importance.  To  a 
child  in  the  \voods,  it  was  like  the  accession  of  a 
fortune  to  a  poor  man  now.  Be  assured,  reader, 
that  Jimmy  greeted  the  advent  of  the  shoemaker 
with  hearty  good-will  when  he  came ;  and  he  came 
very  soon  after  the  shoe  question  was  settled,  for 
Thomas  lost  no  time  in  securing  his  services. 

Then,  in  that  part  of  the  country,  shoemakers  did 


BEFORE  SCHOOLDA  YS.  45 

not  have  shops  of  their  own,  but  they  went  from 
cabin  to  cabin,  boarding  with  the  families  while 
they  were  making  shoes  for  the  members.  In  this 
case  the  cobbler  boarded  with  Mrs.  Garfield,  and  his 
board  paid  part  of  the  cost  of  the  shoes.  Shoe 
makers  were  not  experts  in  the  business  at  that 
time  and  in  that  region,  so  they  required  much  more 
time  to  produce  a  pair  of  shoes ;  and  wrhen  they 
were  completed,  no  one  could  say  that  their  beauty 
added  to  their  value.  They  answered  every  pur 
pose,  however,  in  a  region  where  fashion  was  at 
a  discount. 

The  acquisition  of  that  pair  of  shoes  elated  the 
little  possessor  more  than  an  election  to  Congress 
did  less  than  thirty  years  thereafter.  He  was  rich 
now,  and  well  equipped  for  pioneer  life.  He  could 
defy  the  snows  of  winter  as  well  as  the  stubs  of 
summer. 

One  thing  more  should  be  told  here.  Abram 
Garfield  and  his  noble  wife  were  Christians.  Before 
removing  to  Orange  they  united  with  a  compara 
tively  new  sect,  called  Disciples,  though  Campbell- 
ites  was  a  name  by  which  they  were  sometimes 
known,  in  honor  of  the  founder  of  the  sect,  Alex 
ander  Campbell.  Their  creed  was  very  short,  plain, 
nnd  good.  It  was  as  follows  : 

1.  A  belief  in  God  the  Father. 

2.  That  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living 
God,  the  only  Saviour. 

3.  That  Christ  is  a  Divine  Being. 


46  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

4.  That  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Divine  agent  in  the 
conversion  of  sinners,  and  in  guidance  and  direction. 

5.  That  the  Old  and  New  Testament  Scriptures 
are  inspired  of  God. 

6.  That  there  is  future  punishment  for  the  wicked, 
and  reward  for  the  righteous. 

7.  That  God  hears  and  answers  prayer. 

8.  That  the  Bible  is  the  only  creed. 

With  such  decided  opinions,  of  course  their  cabin 
home  was  dedicated  to  God,  and  the  Bible  was  the 
counsellor  and  guide  of  their  life.  The  voice  of 
prayer  was  heard  daily  in  the  rude  abode,  and  the 
children  were  reared  under  the  influence  of  Chris 
tian  instruction  and  living. 

It  has  taken  us  so  long  to  relate  the  history  of  this 
family  previous  to  Jimmy's  first  day  at  school,  that 
we  must  now  hasten  to  meet  the  children,  on  their 
return,  as  told  in  the  next  chapter. 


III. 

GETTING  ON. 

jRS.  GARFIELD  was  making  her  spin 
ning-wheel  hum  when  the  children  came 
home.  She  was  obliged  to  economize 
her  time  in  order  to  clothe  her  family 
with  goods  of  her  own  manufacture.  The  spinning- 
wheel  and  loom  were  just  as  indispensable  to  pio 
neers,  at  that  time,  as  a  "  Dutch  oven  "  was.  The 
age  of  factories  had  not  come,  certainly  not  in  that 
part  of  the  country.  In  New  England,  even,  factories 
were  in  their  infancy  then,  —  small  affairs. 

"  Oh,  such  a  good  time  as  we  have  had ! "  ex 
claimed  Mehetabel,  as  she  came  rushing  into  the 
cabin  with  James  and  her  sister. 

"Twenty-one  scholars,"  added  her  sister,  under 
considerable  excitement.  "  Mr.  Sander's  children 
were  there,  and  they  have  twice  as  far  to  go  as  we 
have.  They  have  to  walk  over  three  miles." 

"  And  how  did  Jimmy  get  on  at  school?  "  inquired 
their  mother,  as  soon  as  there  was  a  place  for  her  to 
put  in  a  word. 


48  LOG-CABIN   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  He  liked  it,"  answered  Mehetabel ;  "  he  said  his 
letters ;  and  he  asked  the  master  how  he  knew  that 
letter  was  R." 

"Just  like  him,"  ejaculated  Thomas,  laughing  out 
right.  Thomas  had  just  come  in,  leaving  his  work 
when  he  saw  the  children  return.  "  The  master  will 
have  enough  to  do  to  answer  all  his  questions.  What 
did  the  master  tell  him?  " 

"  He  told  him  that  he  learned  it  was  R  at  school, 
when  he  was  about  as  old  as  he  was, "replied  Mehet 
abel.  And  Thomas  was  giving  Jimmy  a  toss  in  the 
air,  by  way  of  sport,  while  she  was  relating  the 
facts,  and  Jimmy  himself  was  making  a  most  vigor 
ous  attempt  to  embellish  the  occurrences  of  the  day 
from  his  imperfect  vocabulary. 

"  How  did  you  like  your  ride,  Jimmy?  "  inquired 
Thomas. 

"  Me  like  it,"  was  the  child's  answer,  uttered  in  a 
gleeful  way. 

"You  liked  it  better  than  Hit  did,  I  guess." 

"  I  liked  it  well  enough,"  responded  Mehetabel. 

"  Wa'nt  you  awful  tired?  " 

"  I  wa'nt  tired  much." 

"  Did  you  carry  him  all  the  way?" 

"Pretty  much.  He  walked  a  little  of  the  way 
home.  He  isn't  much  of  a  load." 

"Did  he  sit  still  in  school?" 

"  Pretty  still.  He  left  his  seat  once,  and  went 
over  to  scrape  the  acquaintance  of  another  boy 
opposite." 

"  What  did  the  master  say  ?  " 


GETTING   ON. 


49 


"  He  took  him  by  the  hand  and  led  him  back, 
looking  at  us,  and  smiling ;  and  he  told  him  that 
each  boy  and  girl  had  his  own  seat  in  school,  and  he 
must  keep  it." 

"  You  are  a  great  one,  Jimmy,"  exclaimed  Thomas, 
tossing  the  little  midget  into  the  air  again.  "  You  will 
make  music  for  them  in  school." 

"Well,  children,  I  am  glad  that  you  like  your 
school  so  well,"  remarked  their  mother,  who  had 
been  listening  to  the  prattle  with  maternal  interest. 
"  You  must  make  the  most  of  it,  too,  for  we  can't  ex 
pect  many  school  advantages  in  these  wroods.  Poor 
opportunities  are  better  than  none." 

Ohio  schools  were  of  the  poorest  class  then,  short 
and  miserable.  The  teachers  knew  but  little  to  be 
gin  with,  and  children  had  to  travel  so  far  to  school 
that  their  attendance  was  limited  to  certain  parts  of 
the  year.  In  many  schools  reading,  spelling,  and 
writing  were  the  only  branches  taught.  Geography 
and  arithmetic  were  added  to  the  studies  in  some 
schools.  All  of  these  branches  were  pursued  in  the 
school  which  the  Garfield  children  attended. 
Teachers  in  the  new  settlements,  at  that  time,  were 
usually  males ;  it  was  not  supposed  that  females 
could  teach  school  well.  That  females  make  the 
best  teachers,  as  a  class,  is  a  recent  discovery. 

The  books  used  in  the  best  pioneer  schools  of 
Ohio  were  Webster's  Spelling-book,  the  English 
Reader,  Pike's  and  Adams'  Arithmetic,  and  Morse's 
(old)  Geography.  The  Garfields  possessed  all  of 
these.  They  had,  also,  the  Farmer's  Almanac,  and 

4 


50  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

a  copy  of  Davy  Crockett's  Almanac,  which  was 
found,  at  one  time,  in  almost  every  cabin  of  the 
West.  Reading-books  were  scarce  then  through 
out  the  country,  in  comparison  with  the  present  time  ; 
in  the  wilds  of  Ohio  they  were  not  so  plenty  as  pan 
thers  and  wolves.  Many  of  the  few  books  found 
there  related  to  exciting  adventures  with  beasts  of 
prey,  hair-breadth  escapes  on  perilous  waters,  -and 
the  daring  exploits  of  pirates  and  rascals ;  and  they 
were  illustrated  with  very  poor  pictures.  Three  or 
four  volumes,  besides  the  Bible  and  school-books,  con 
stituted  the  whole  literary  outfit  of  the  Garfields. 
They  had  more  brains  than  books,  as  the  sequel 
will  abundantly  prove. 

The  village  where  the  school  was  located  was  not 
much  of  a  village  after  all.  In  addition  to  the  log 
school-house,  eighteen  by  twenty  feet,  there  was  a 
grist-mill,  and  a  log-house,  in  a  part  of  which  was  a 
store,  the  other  part  being  used  for  a  dwelling.  The 
place  is  now  known  by  the  name  of  Chagrin  Falls, 
and  derived  its  singular  name  from  the  following 
fact.  A  bright  Yankee  began  the  settlement,  at 
tracted  thither  by  the  stream  of  water.  He  removed 
to  the  place  in  the  winter  time,  when  the  stream  was 
swollen  and  swift,  and  he  erected  a  saw-mill.  But 
when  the  summer  came  the  stream  dried  up,  and  his 
hopes  dried  up  with  it.  His  chagrin  was  so  great 
over  his  dry  enterprise  that  he  named  the  locality  as 
above,  in  order  to  warn  his  Yankee  relations  against 
repeating  his  folly. 

We  cannot  delay  to  rehearse  much  that  transpired 


GETTING   OAT. 


in  school  during  this  first  term  that  James  attended. 
Two  or  three  matters  of  special  interest  only  can 
be  noticed. 

We  have  said  that  James  was  very  familiar  with 
Bible  stories ;  and  we  have  intimated  too,  that  he 
was  very  inquisitive.  His  questions  often  created 
a  laugh  in  school,  both  teacher  and  scholars  enjoy 
ing  their  originality  and  pertinency  very  much. 
The  fact  was,  James  meant  to  understand  things  as 
he  went  along,  and  so  his  active  brain  put  many 
inquiries  over  which  the  school  was  merry.  They 
were  not  merry  because  his  questions  were  pointless 
and  childish ;  far  otherwise.  They  were  merry 
because  such  a  little  fellow  showed  so  much  bright 
ness  and  precocity  by  his  inquiries.  Scholars  and 
teachers  came  to  regard  him  as  a  sort  of  prodigy. 

One  day,  at  noon,  an  older  scholar  set  him  upon 
the  table,  saying : 

"Now,  Jimmy,  you  be  master  and  ask  questions, 
and  we  will  be  scholars  and  answer  them." 

"  Take  'oo  seats,  then,"  responded  Jimmy,  by  way 
of  consenting,  his  bright  eyes  sparkling  with  de 
light. 

The  pupils  took  their  seats  in  a  glee. 

wNow  go  ahead,  Jimmy,"  cried  out  Jacob  Lan 
der.  "  Don't  ask  too  hard  questions." 

Jimmy  immediately  began  on  his  hobby  —  Bible 
questions. 

"Who  made  the  ark?" 

~Noah,"  answered  a  half  dozen  voices. 
•     "Who  told  him  to  make  the  ark? " 


52  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  God,"  replied  several. 

"  What  for  did  God  want  he  should  make  the 
ark?" 

There  was  a  pause  ;  no  one  answered.  It  was 
one  of  Jacob  Lander's  hard  questions,  that  James 
should  have  avoided.  After  waiting  in  vain  for  an 
answer,  he  answered  it  himself. 

"  To  save  his  self  and  family  in." 

"  Save  from  what?  "  cried  out  Jacob. 

"  From  the  flood,"  replied  James. 

"  Who  was  the  oldest  man?  "  James  continued. 

"Methusaleh,"  several  answered. 

"How  old  was  he?" 

Nobody  could  tell,  and  so  James  told  them. 

"Who  was  the  meekest  man?  " 

"  Moses,"  was  the  prompt  answer. 

"  Who  had  a  coat  of  many  colors?  " 

"Joseph,"  equally  prompt. 

"  Who  was  swallowed  in  the  Red  Sea?  " 

Nobody  replied.     He  told. 

And  thus,  for  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  this  child  of 
not  quite  four  years  interrogated  the  scholars  around 
him,  presenting  one  of  the  most  marvellous  scenes 
on  record,  whether  in  wilderness  or  city.  From  his 
earliest  years  his  memory  was  very  remarkable, 
embracing  and  retaining  stories,  facts,  and  whatever 
he  heard,  with  unusual  accuracy.  He  acquired 
very  much  information  in  school  by  listening  to  the 
recitations  of  other  and  older  pupils.  Nothing  was 
more  common  during  his  first  term  at  school,  than 
for  him  to  repeat  at  home  something  he  had  learned 


GETTING  ON. 


53 


from  the  recitations  of  older  scholars.  Then,  too, 
nothing  escaped  his  notice.  His  faculty  of  obser 
vation  was  ever  on  the  alert.  Language,  manners, 
apparel,  methods  of  work,  conversation,  almost 
everything  attracted  his  attention ;  so  that  he  was 
ever  surprising  friends,  from  his  childhood,  by  the 
amount  of  information  he  possessed. 

He  was  a  great  imitator,  too.  Children  differ 
very  much  in  this  regard.  James  was  one  in  whom 
this  faculty  appeared  to  be  large  by  inheritance.  It 
was  encouraging  to  behave  well  in  his  presence, 
it  was  perilous  and  doubly  wicked  to  set  a  bad  ex 
ample  before  him.  Coupled  with  his  observation, 
this  quality  made  him  sharp  and  critical,  for  one  of 
his  years. 

"  School  will  keep  through  the  winter,"  said  Me- 
hetabel  to  her  mother,  as  she  came  home  one  day, 
near  the  close  of  the  term.  "Jacob's  father  is  rais 
ing  the  money  to  pay  the  master." 

"How  did  you  learn?  I  have  not  heard  of  it," 
answered  Mrs.  Garfield. 

"Several  of  the  scholars  said  so;  and  they  are  all 
going." 

"  Going  to  have  a  vacation?"  inquired  her  mother. 

"  Yes  ;  two  or  three  weeks ;  school  will  begin  in 
December  for  the  winter." 

"  I  am  very  glad  indeed  that  you  can  have  such 
an  opportunity  to  attend  school,"  continued  her 
mother. 

"Then  I  can  go,  can  I?" 

wYes;  you  can  all  go  except  Jimmy.     He  cannot 


54  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

go  so  far  in  the  winter ;  and  it  will  be  too  hard  for 
you  to  carry  him  through  the  snow." 

"Will  Tom  go?" 

"  I  hope  so ;  he  has  worked  very  hard  that  the 
rest  of  you  might  go,  and  now  he  should  go." 

Ten  minutes  afterwards  Thomas  was  discussing 
the  matter,  and  presenting  reasons  why  he  could  not 
attend. 

"I  shall  find  enough  to  do  taking  care  of  the  cows 
and  chopping  wood,  even  if  there  is  no  snow  to 
shovel,  which  is  not  very  likely." 

"  But  we  must  let  some  things  go  undone,  if  pos 
sible,  that  you  may  learn  when  you  can,"  suggested 
his  mother.  "In  this  new  country  you  must  take 
education  when  you  can  get  it." 

"I  can  study  at  home,  evenings  and  stormy  days," 
replied  Thomas. 

"That  is  what  Jimmy  must  do  —  study  at  home," 
continued  Mrs.  Garfield.  "  He  has  a  good  start 
now,  arid  he  can  make  a  good  reader  before  next 
summer." 

The  result  was  that  Thomas  did  not  attend  the 
winter  term,  nor  James.  Their  two  sisters  went, 
and  Mrs.  Garfield  instructed  James  and  assisted 
Thomas  somewhat  in  his  studies. 

Long  winter  evenings  in  the  woods  were  favorable 
for  study  by  the  light  of  the  blazing  fire,  that  made 
the  cabin  more  cheerful  even  than  it  was  in  the  day 
time.  Pioneers  could  not  afford  the  luxury  of  a  tal 
low  candle  or  an  oil  lamp.  Sometimes  they  adopted 
a  substitute  for  both  —  the  pitch-pine  knot.  But 


GETTING  ON. 


55 


usually  in  winter  pioneers  depended  upon  the  light 
of  the  fireplace.  Fireplaces  were  very  large,  so 
as  to  admit  logs  four  feet  long,  with  a  quantity  of 
smaller  fuel  in  like  proportion.  When  the  mass  of 
combustible  material  was  fairly  ablaze,  the  light  and 
heat  penetrated  into  every  corner  of  the  cabin ;  and 
the  heat  below  greatly  modified  the  excessive  cold 
of  the  loft  above. 

That  winter  was  a  memorable  one  for  James.  He 
made  decided  progress  in  spelling  and  reading  be 
fore  the  next  summer  came,  with  its  hot  days  and 
growing  crops.  It  was  after  the  winter  was  over 
and  gone,  and  the  warm  sunlight  was  bathing  the 
forests  and  gladdening  the  earth,  that  James  came 
into  possession  of  a  child's  volume  somehow,  —  either 
it  was  a  present  or  was  borrowed  of  a  neighbor,  — 
from  which  he  derived  much  real  pleasure.  One 
day  he  spelled  out  and  read  aloud  the  following  line  : 

"The  rain  came  pattering  on  the  roof." 

"  Why,  mother !  "  he  shouted,  under  visible  ex 
citement,  "  I've  heard  the  rain  do  that  myself." 

"You  have?" 

"Why,  yes,  I  have,"  he  continued,  as  if  a  new 
revelation  were  made  to  him.  And  then  he  read 
the  line  over  again,  with  more  emphasis  and  louder 
than  before, 

"  The  rain  came  pattering  on  the  roof." 

"Yes,  mother,  I've  heard  it  just  so!"  and  the 
little  fellow  appeared  to  be  struggling  with  a  thought 
larger  than  ever  tasked  his  mind  before.  It  was 
the  first  time,  probably,  that  he  had  learned  the 


56  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

actual  use  of  words  to  represent  things,  to  describe 
objects  and  events  —  the  outside  world  on  paper. 

From  that  time  James  was  introduced  into  a  new 
world,  —  a  world  of  thought.  Words  expressed 
thoughts  to  him,  and  books  contained  words ;  and 
so  he  went  for  books  with  all  his  mind,  and  might, 
and  strength.  There  was  nothing  about  the  cabin 
equal  to  a  book.  He  preferred  the  "  English  Read 
er  "  to  anything  that  could  be  raised  on  the  little 
farm.  He  revelled  in  books  —  such  books  as  he 
could  find  at  that  time  when  there  was  a  dearth  of 
books.  Day  after  day  the  "English  Reader"  was 
his  companion.  He  would  lie  flat  upon  the  cabin 
floor  by  the  hour,  or  sprawl  himself  out  under  a  tree, 
on  a  warm  summer  day,  with  the  "  English  Reader  " 
in  his  hand,  exploring  its  mines  of  thought,  master 
ing  its  wonderful  knowledge,  and  making  himself 
familiar  with  its  inspiring  contents.  This  was  before 
the  lad  was  five  years  old ;  and  he  was  scarcely 
six  years  old  when  he  had  committed  to  memory  a 
great  portion  of  that  "  Reader."  Other  volumes,  too, 
occupied  much  of  his  attention,  though  none  to  such 
an  extent  as  the  "English  Reader."  Such  was  his 
childish  devotion  to  books  that  his  mother  could 
scarcely  refrain  from  prophesying,  even  then,  an 
intellectual  career  for  him.  She  knew  not  how  it 
could  be  done,  —  all  the  surroundings  of  the  family 
were  unfriendly  to  such  an  experience,  —  but  some 
how  she  was  made  to  feel  that  there  was  a  wider, 
grander  field  of  action  for  that  active,  precocious 
mind. 


IV, 

TRIALS  AND   TRIUMPHS, 

JE  can  have  a  school-house  nearer  to  us," 
remarked  Mrs.  Garfield  to  Mr.  Boynton. 
"For   the  sake  of  my  James,  I  wish  we 
could  have." 
"There  are  scarcely  enough  families  yet  to  make 
such    a   change,"  replied  Mr.  Boynton;   "some  of 
them  would  have  to  go  as  far  as  they  do  now." 

"  That  is  very  true  ;  but  more  families  would 
have  a  shorter  distance  to  go  than  they  have  now. 
I  think  that  fact  is  worth  considering." 

Mrs.  Garfield  was  giving  utterance,  for  the  first 
time,  to  thoughts  that  had  been  in  her  mind  for 
several  months.  In  her  own  mind  she  had  num 
bered  the  families  which  might  be  induced  to  unite 
in  erecting  a  log  school-house  upon  one  corner  of 
her  larm.  She  continued  : 

"  Suppose  you  inquire  of  Mr.  Collins  and  others, 
and  learn  what  they  think  about  it.  If  eight  or  ten 
families  will  unite,  or  even  eight  families,  we  can 
have  a  school  nearer  home.  I  will  give  the  land 

57 


58  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

on  which  to  build  the  house ;  and  three  days'  labor 
by  seven  or  eight  men  will  complete  the  building. 
It  is  not  a  long  or  expensive  job,  and  it  is  just  the 
time  to  start  now,  if  the  thing  is  to  be  done." 

"  Perhaps  it  can  be  done,"  Mr.  Boynton  answered 
thoughtfully.  "  The  more  I  look  at  it,  the  less  dif 
ficult  it  seems.  I  will  consult  the  neighbors  you 
mention,  and  others,  too.  I  should  be  as  pleased 
as  anybody  to  have  it  done."  And  as  he  spoke  the 
last  sentence  he  turned  towards  home. 

Without  recording  the  details  of  this  new  enter 
prise,  we  need  only  say,  that  it  was  very  easily 
accomplished  ;  and  before  winter  set  in,  a  log  school- 
house  stood  on  the  Garfield  farm.  Neighbors  wel 
comed  the  project,  especially  because  it  would  be 
an  advantage  to  Widow  Garfield,  whom  they  very 
much  respected,  and  to  whom  their  warmest  sympa- , 
thies  had  always  been  tendered  in  her  affliction. 

"  Now  you  can  go  to  school  by  your  own  convey 
ance,"  said  Thomas  to  Jimmy,  one  day  after  the 
school-house  was  finished.  "You  won't  have  to 
make  a  beast  of  burden  of  Hit  any  longer.  You 
will  like  that,  won't  you?" 

James  assented  ;  when  his  mother  added  : 

"Your  master  is  coming  from  New  Hampshire, 
where  I  was  born.  You  will  like  him  ;  and  he  is 
to  board  here  to  begin  with." 

Mrs.  Garfield  had  four  children,  and  Mr.  Boynton 
six,  to  go  to  school,  — ten  in  all  from  two  families. 

It  was  through  Mrs.  Garfield's  influence  that  the 
school-house  was  built ;  and  then,  it  was  through  her 


TRIALS  AND   TRIUMPHS.  59 

influence  that  a  school-master  was  imported  from 
New  Hampshire.  The  school-house  was  twenty 
feet  square,  with  puncheon  floor,  slab  roof,  and 
log  benches  without  backs,  —  large  enough  to  ac 
commodate  twenty-five  scholars.  Teachers  always 
"boarded  round,"  dividing  the  time  equally  among 
the  families ;  and  it  was  considered  quite  an  advan 
tage  to  a  family  of  children  to  have  the  "  master  " 
board  with  them. 

By  hard  labor,  assisted  by  his  mother  and  sisters, 
Thomas  harvested  the  crops  in  the  autumn,  cut  and 
hauled  wood,  and  did  other  necessary  work,  so  that 
he  could  attend  the  winter  term  of  school  with  his 
sisters  and  James. m  He  had  everything  about  the 
farm  in  fine  oider  when  December  and  the  school 
master,  whose  name  was  Foster,  arrived.  They 
came  together,  and  one  was  about  as  rough  as  the 
other.  The  "master"  was  a  young  man  of  twenty 
years,  uncouth  in  his  appearance,  large  and  un 
wieldy,  but  a  sensible  sort  of  a  Yankee,  who  had 
picked  up  considerable  knowledge  without  going  to 
school  or  reading  much.  On  the  whole,  he  was 
full  as  much  of  a  man  as  pioneers  could  expect  for 
the  small  wages  they  were  able  to  pay.  He  was 
kind-hearted,  of  good  character,  and  was  really  in 
fluenced  by  a  strong  desire  to  benefit  his  pupils. 

He  took  up  his  abode  at  the  beginning  of  school 
with  Mrs.  Garfield,  and  slept  in  the  loft  with  Thomas 
and  James.  At  once  his  attention  was  drawn  to 
Jarnes,  as  a  very  precocious  child.  Good  terms 
were  established  between  them ;  and  when  they 


60  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

started  off  together  for  the  school-house,  on  the  first 
day  of  school,  the  teacher  said  to  him,  putting  his 
hand  kindly  on  his  head  : 

"If  you  learn  well,  my  boy,  you  may  grow  up  yet 
and  be  a  General." 

James  did  not  know  exactly  what  a  General  was, 
but  then  he  concluded  that  a  General  must  be  some 
great  affair,  or  a  schoolmaster  would  not  speak  so 
favorably  of  him.  The  remark  fastened  upon  the 
lad's  mind ;  somehow  he  felt,  all  through  the  day, 
that  he  was  beginning  just  then  to  make  a  General, 
whatever  that  might  be.  It  was  not  out  of  his  mind 
for  a  minute ;  and  he  labored  somewhat  upon  the 
point,  how  long  a  time  it  would  take  to  make  him 
into  a  General.  However,  he  knew  that  there  was 
one  being  who  stood  between  him,  and  all  learning, 
and  all  the  future,  —  and  that  being  was  his  mother. 
What  he  did  not  know,  she  would  know.  As  soon 
as  he  reached  home,  after  school,  he  inquired : 

"Ma,  what's  a  gen'ral?" 

"What's  what?"  his  mother  answered,  not  com 
prehending  his  question. 

"What's  a  gen'ral?"  James  repeated,  somewhat 
more  distinctly. 

"Oh,  I  see  now  —  a  General!"  she  answered; 
"that  is  what  you  want  to  know." 

"  Yes  ;  the  master  said  I  might  make  a  gen'ral  if 
I  learn." 

"That  is  what  put  it  into  your  head,  then,"  con 
tinued  his  mother,  laughing,  "You  don't  know 


TRIALS  AND   TRIUMPHS.  6l 

whether  you  would  like  to  be  one  or  not,  I  suppose : 
is  that  it?" 

"I  want  to  know  what  it  is,"  James  replied. 

"Well,  I  will  tell  you,  my  son,  for  your  great 
grandfather  fought  in  the  Revolutionary  War  under 
a  General.  You  ought  to  know  something  about 
that,  and  something  about  your  ancestors,  too,  as 
well  as  about  a  General." 

She  proceeded  to  tell  him  about  his  paternal  an 
cestors  :  "  How  Edward  Garfield  came  to  this  country 
from  England,  with  John  Winthrop,  John  Endicott, 
Francis  Higginson,  and  many  other  Puritans,  to 
escape  oppression  at  home,  settled  in  Watertown, 
Mass.,  which  was  as  much  of  a  wilderness  then  as 
Ohio  was  when  your  father  removed  here.  The 
Indians  were  his  neighbors,  and  he  bought  land  of 
them,  and  lived  in  peace  with  them.  There  he  and 
his  descendants  lived,  some  of  them  removing  into 
other  towns,  and  many  of  them  among  the  most  in 
fluential  citizens  of  that  time.  By  and  by,  England, 
the  mother-country,  made  war  upon  the  people  there, 
and  the  fight  of  Concord  bridge  occurred  on  the  I9th 
of  April,  1775.  The  soldiers  of  England  wore  red 
coats,  glistening  with  brass  buttons,  and  they  carried 
guns  with  which  to  shoot  down  the  farmers  and 
people  of  Massachusetts  Colony,  unless  they  would 
surrender  and  obey  the  king  of  England.  But  the 
men  would  do  neither.  They  seized  their  guns,  de 
termined  to  defend  themselves,  and  shoot  the  red 
coats  rather  than  continue  to  be  subject  to  the  king. 
Your  great-uncle,  Abraham  Garfield,  was  among 


62  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

the  soldiers  at  Concord  Bridge.  This  was  the  be 
ginning  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  in  which  our 
soldiers  fought  bravely  for  their  rights,  and  your 
great-grandfather,  Solomon  Garfield,  was  one  of 
them.  Then  our  soldiers  wore  blue  coats,  trimmed 
with  brass  buttons,  and  they  were  led  by  Generals 
who  were  the  most  distinguished  men,  like  General 
Washington.  The  Generals  wore  coats  that  shone 
with  gold  lace,  and  epaulets,  or  ornaments,  on  their 
shoulders,  and  hats  like  the  one  General  Washing 
ton  wears  in  the  almanac  picture,  made  showy  with 
gold  lace  and  a  feather.  Generals  carried  swords 
instead  of  guns ;  and  they  rode  horseback,  and  led 
the  soldiers  into  battle.  I  hope  we  shall  never  want 
any  more  Generals  in  this  country,  for  it  is  terrible 
to  shoot  down  men  as  they  do  in  war.  But  by  study 
and  learning  you  can  make  a  man  equal  to  a  Gen 
eral,  and  be  as  honored,  without  killing  your  fellow- 
men. 

"  When  the  Revolutionary  War  was  over,  your 
great-grandfather  removed  into  the  State  of  New 
York,  where  he  had  a  son  whom  he  named  Thomas. 
Thomas  grew  up  to  be  a  man,  and  was  married, 
and  had  a  son  whom  he  named  Abram ;  and  this 
Abram  was  your  father.  Now,  it  will  be  easy  for 
you  to  remember,  that  Solomon  Garfield  was  your 
great-grandfather,  a  soldier  of  the  American  Revo 
lution  ;  that  Thomas  Garfield,  a  pioneer  of  New 
York  state,  was  your  grandfather,  and  Abram,  his 
son,  a  pioneer  of  Ohio,  was  your  father.  There 
was  no  General  among  all  your  ancestors,  though 


TRIALS  AND   TRIUMPHS.  63 

some  of  them  were  equal  to  Generals.  If  you  should 
ever  become  a  General,  you  will  be  what  no  one 
of  your  ancestors  ever  was,  as  far  back  as  we  can 
trace  them — two  hundred  and  fifty  years." 

James  listened  to  this  recital  with  wonder.  He 
scarcely  knew  before  that  he  was  connected  with 
the  world  outside  of  the  Ohio  wilderness.  Now,  he 
clearly  understood  that  his  relations  acted  a  con 
spicuous  part  in  settling  this  country,  and  were 
people  of  much  consequence.  It  was  a  new  and  in 
spiring  thought  to  him.  His  cabin  home  was  in 
vested  with  new  interest  and  more  importance.  How 
far  his  life  was  influenced  by  this  revelation  of  the 
past,  we  cannot  say,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  his 
active  brain  was  stirred  to  nobler  thought,  and  his 
young  heart  stamped  by  indelible  impressions. 

James  believed  in  his  teacher,  and  his  teacher 
believed  in  him.  There  was  mutual  attraction  from 
the  outset.  The  teacher  saw  that  the  backwoods 
boy  was  a  great  man  in  embryo.  He  was  glad  to 
have  such  a  scholar  under  his  tuition.  He  was 
somewhat  taken  aback,  however,  by  subsequent 
occurrences.  The  second  day  of  school  he  estab 
lished  the  following  rule : 

"Scholars  cannot  study  their  lessons  and  look 
about  the  school-room :  therefore  gazing  about  is 
strictly  forbidden." 

It  was  a  novel  rule  to  the  pupils.  It  savored  of 
more  strictness  than  they  had  been  accustomed  to. 
It  was  a  very  difficult  rule  for  James  to  observe.  He 
acquired  much  information  by  his  close  observation. 


64  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

His  two  eyes  and  two  ears  were  more  than  books  to 
him.  Besides,  he  had  never  undertaken  to  perform 
the  feat  of  sitting  bolt  upright  upon  a  log  bench 
without  a  back,  and  looking  down  upon  his  book 
with  steady  gaze.  It  was  a  severe  ordeal  for  a  boy 
who  never  sat  still  in  his  life,  and  who  evidently 
was  not  constructed  upon  the  principle  of  sitting 
still.  However,  his  heart  accepted  the  rule,  and  he 
meant  to  do  the  best  that  he  could  with  it.  If  he 
were  to  make  a  General,  or  something  else  as  good, 
he  must  do  as  the  "master "told  him  to  do.  As 
much  as  that  was  clear  to  him.  But  the  first  thing 
he  knew,  his  eyes  were  off  his  book,  and  on  the 
class  reciting. 

"James  !  "  said  the  teacher  pleasantly,  "have  you 
forgotten  the  rule  so  quick?" 

"  I  forgot,"  was  James'  laconic  reply ;  and  down 
dashed  his  eyes  upon  his  book.  Not  long,  how 
ever.  A  taking  answer  to  a  question  in  the  class  on 
the  floor  brought  up  his  eyes  again,  as  if  by  magic. 

"What !  so  soon  forgetting  the  rule  again,  James?" 
exclaimed  the  teacher.  "  You  have  a  very  short 
memory." 

James  looked  down  upon  his  book  abashed,  but 
he  made  no  reply.  The  fact  was,  he  meant  to  mind 
the  rule  and  do  his  best  to  please  his  teacher.  But 
it  was  never  intended  that  two  such  eyes  and  two 
such  ears  as  James  possessed  should  come  under  a 
rule  like  that.  The  teacher  was  unwittingly  at  fault 
here.  He  did  not  quite  understand  his  pupil ;  and 
so  he  insisted  upon  the  observance  of  the  rule,  and 


TRIALS  AND    TRIUMPHS..  65 

for  two  weeks  continued  to  correct  James,  hoping 
that  he  would  finally  bring  his  eyes  and  ears  into 
complete  subjection.  But  his  effort  was  fruitless. 
James  was  incorrigible,  when  he  meant  to  be  obedi 
ent,  and  he  grew  nervous  under  the  discipline. 
He  thought  so  much  about  keeping  his  eyes  in  the 
prescribed  place  that  he  could  think  very  little  about 
his  lessons ;  and  so  he  became  comparatively  dull 
and  defective  in  his  recitations. 

At  length,  just  before  the  teacher  left  Mrs.  Gar- 
field's  for  another  boarding-place,  he  said  to  her,  in 
James'  presence  : 

"  I  do  not  want  to  wound  your  feelings,  James  is 
such  a  noble  boy ;  but  then  I  want  to  tell  you  —  " 

"Say  on,"  replied  Mrs.  Garfield,  quite  startled  by 
the  solemn  tone  of  the  "  master." 

"James  is  not  quite  the  boy  in  school  that  I  ex 
pected." 

"How  so?"  interrupted  Mrs.  Garfield,  completely 
taken  by  surprise.  "You  astonish  me." 

"I  know  that  you  will  be  grieved,  but  I  think  it  is 
my  duty  to  tell  you."  And  Mrs.  Garfield 'could  see 
that  he  shrunk  from  telling  her,  and  she  began  to 
think  that  something  awful  had  happened ;  still  she 
repeated : 

"  Say  on." 

"  Well,  it  is  only  this  :  James  don't  sit  still,  and  he 
don't  learn  his  lessons.  I  fear  that  I  shall  not  be 
able  to  make  a  scholar  of  him." 

w  O  James  ! "  his  mother  exclaimed,  as  if  the 
teacher  had  put  a  shot  through  her  body.  That  was 


66>  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE'. 

all  she  said ;  and  it  was  uttered  in  a  tone  of  agony 
that  went  straight  to  the  little  fellow's  heart,  as  he 
stood  looking  and  listening.  She  sent  him  to  school 
that  he  might  make  a  scholar,  and  now  her  hopes 
were  dashed  in  a  moment.  No  wonder  that  her  re 
sponse  was  an  exclamation  of  disappointment  and 
grief! 

"  I  will  be  a  good  boy,"  ejaculated  James,  burst 
ing  into  tears,  and  burying  his  face  in  his  mother's 
lap.  "  I  mean  to  be  a  good  boy."  And  he  never 
told  more  truth  in  a  single  sentence  than  he  did  in 
the  last  one.  It  never  will  do  for  a  philosopher, 
however  wise,  to  attempt  to  repress  the  centrifugal 
force  of  nature  ;  and  that  was  what  the  teacher  was 
trying  to  do. 

"  Perhaps  he  can't  sit  still,"  at  length  Mrs.  Gar- 
field  suggested ;  "  he  never  was  still  in  his  life." 

"I  -will  sit  still,"  was  the  boy's  response,  still  sob 
bing  as  if  his  heart  would  burst,  yet  speaking  before 
the  teacher  had  time  to  reply. 

"  Perhaps  so,"  answered  the  teacher,  thoughtfully, 
as  if  the  grieved  mother  had  awakened  a  new  idea 
in  him. 

"  I  never  knew  him  to  fail  of  learning  before,"  Mrs. 
Garfield  continued  ;  "  never." 

"  I  will  learn,  mother  !  "  the  boy  shouted  between 
his  sobs. 

"You  mean  to  learn,  I  have  no  doubt,"  answered 
his  mother.  "Some  boys  do  worse  than  they  in 
tend  ;  perhaps  that  is  the  trouble  with  you." 

"You  dear  child,"  said  the  teacher,  putting  his 


TRIALS  AND   TRIUMPHS.  67 

hand  upon  his  head,  touched  by  the  lad's  piteous  ap 
peals  ;  "  you  and  I  are  good  friends,  and  I  think  we 
shall  have  no  more  trouble.  I  will  try  you  again. 
So  wipe  up,  and  let  us  laugh  and  not  cry." 

The  teacher  saw  his  mistake.  The  child's 
mother  had  opened  his  eyes  by  her  wise  suggestion. 
In  his  mind  he  resolved  to  let  the  centrifugal  force 
alone,  and  adopt  another  policy.  So  the  subject  was 
dropped,  and  James  went  to  school  on  the  following 
day,  to  sit  still  or  not,  as  he  pleased.  The  teacher 
resolved  to  leave  him  to  himself,  and  see  what  the 
effect  would  be.  The  result  was  excellent.  The 
boy  did  not  sit  still,  of  course  he  did  not;  but  he 
was  natural  and  happy,  and  his  eyes  fulfilled  their 
function  in  roaming  about  more  or  less,  and  his  ears 
heard  what  was  going  on.  in  the  school-house.  The 
teacher  could  not  make  a  blind  and  deaf  boy  of  him, 
any  way,  and  so  he  ceased  to  try.  He  allowed  him 
to  see  and  hear  for  himself;  and  it  just  filled  the  lad 
with  happiness.  It  fired  his  ambition,  and  brought 
out  his  brilliant  parts,  so  that  he  became  the  star  of 
the  school. 

It  was  quite  a  number  of  days  before  Mrs.  Gar- 
field  saw  the  teacher  again,  as  he  went  to  board  with 
another  family.  Then  he  called  to  cheer  the  mother, 
whom  he  had  so  thoroughly  grieved.  Her  first 
question  was,  as  he  entered  her  house, — 

"  How  does  James  do  now?  " 

"  Oh,  grandly,"  the  teacher  replied,  in  a  tone  that 
indicated  great  satisfaction  in  being  able  to  speak  so 
approvingly. 


68  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  I  am  so  glad  !  "  was  the  mother's  only  response  ;i 
and  her  heart  was  healed. 

w  He  is  perpetual  motion  in  school,"  continued  the 
teacher,  "  but  he  learns ;  no  scholar  learns  so  fast  as 
he." 

"Then  you  have  given  up  your  rule?"  Mrs.  Gar- 
field  remarked,  inquiringly. 

"Yes;  I  think  you  are  right  about  him.  Such  a 
rule  cramps  him  ;  he  can't  be  himself  under  it.  I 
guess  he  tried  hard  to  obey  it." 

"Children  are  very  unlike,"  continued  Mrs.  Gar- 
field.  "James  is  unlike  my  other  children  in  his 
restlessness  and  energy,  as  well  as  in  his  precocious- 
ness.  I  hope  that  he  will  come  out  all  right." 

"Come  out  all  right,"  responded  the  teacher. 
"My  word  for  it,  he  will  make  his  mark  in  the 
world  ;  you  can  depend  on  that." 

"  I  hope  so ;  "  and  Mrs.  Garfield  put  her  whole 
mother's  heart  into  those  last  three  words. 

The  restive  nature  of  James  was  a  theme  of  re 
mark  frequently.  Thomas  sometimes  complained 
of  it.  He  lodged  with  James,  and  the  latter  would 
toss  and  tumble  about,  often  awaking  Thomas  by 
his  movements,  kicking  off  the  clothes,  and  thereby 
putting  himself  and  brother  to  considerable  incon 
venience.  Often  he  would  turn  over,  and  feeling 
cold  after  having  kicked  off  the  bedclothes,  he 
would  say  in  his  sleep,  — 

"Tom,  cover  me  up." 

Thomas  would  pull  the  clothing  over  him,  and  lie 
down  to  his  dreams,  but  only  to  repeat  the  operation 


TRIALS  AND   TRIUMPHS.  69 

again  and  again.  It  was  said  of  James,  twenty-five 
years  after  that  time,  when  he  had  become  a  Gen 
eral,  that,  one  night,  after  a  terrible  battle,  he  laid 
down  with  other  officers  to  sleep,  and  in  his  restless 
ness  he  kicked  off  his  covering  ;  then,  turning  partly 
over,  he  said, — 

"Tom,  cover  me  up." 

An  officer  pulled  the  blanket  over  him,  and  awoke 
him  by  the  act.  On  being  told  of  his  request  in  his 
sleep,  James  thought  of  his  good  brother  Thomas 
and  of  the  little  log-house  in  the  woods  of  Ohio  ; 
and  he  turned  over  and  wept,  as  he  did  in  childhood 
when  the  teacher  concluded  that  he  could  not  make 
a  General  of  him. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  school  the  teacher  had 
said  : 

"  At  the  close  of  the  term  I  shall  present  this  Tes 
tament  (holding  up  a  pretty  Testament  of  rather 
diminutive  size)  to  the  best  scholar,  —  best  in  study, 
behavior,  and  all  that  makes  a  good  scholar." 

It  was  a  new  thing  to  them,  and  it  proved  quite  an 
incentive  to  most  of  the  pupils.  Several  tried  hard 
for  it ;  but  it  was  pretty  well  understood  before  the 
term  was  half  through  who  would  have  the  book. 
None  were  surprised,  when,  at  the  close  of  the  last 
day  of  school,  the  teacher  said,  — 

"James  !  step  this  way." 

James  lost  no  time  in  obeying. 

"This  book,"  passing  the  Testament  to  him,  "is 
yours.  I  think  you  have  fairly  earned  it  as  the  best 
scholar  in  school.  I  have  no  fault  to  find  with  any 


70  LOG-CABIN   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

scholar ;  but  your  remarkable  progress  entitles  you 
to  the  book." 

The  pupils  were  all  satisfied ;  James  was  a  happy 
boy,  and  his  mother  wept  tears  of  joy. 

From  the  time  that  James  was  permitted  to  be 
himself  in  school,  his  advancement  was  remarkable. 
Every  teacher  regarded  him  as  a  boy  of  uncommon 
talents,  and  every  scholar  was  attracted  to  him  as  by 
magnetic  influence.  He  read  every  book  that  he 
could  beg  or  borrow ;  yet  he  was  efficient  to  assist 
Thomas  on  the  farm  at  six  years  of  age.  He  went 
to  school  whenever  there  was  a  school ;-  but  that  was 
only  a  few  weeks  in  a  year.  He-  improved  his  even 
ings  and  leisure  time  at  home,  however,  and  all 
the  books  at  hand  were  read  over  and  over,  until  he 
was  perfectly  familiar  with  their  contents.  His  men 
tal  appetite  was  always  craving,  nor  was  it  ever 
gorged  by  excess  of  food.  It  appeared  to  be  capa 
ble  of  appropriating  and  digesting  all  that  the  times 
and  locality  could  furnish. 

About  this  time  the  Garfield  and  Boynton  children 
formed  a  kind  of  club  for  improvement  in  spelling. 
The  spelling-book  became  the  field  of  their  ex 
ploits.  They  studied  it  enthusiastically,  and  drilled 
each  other  in  its  contents,  as  if  they  meant  to  master 
it.  The  result  was  great  proficiency  in  spelling  — 
all  of  them  excelling  their  companions  at  school. 
The  drill  was  of  great  advantage  to  them  in  spelling- 
matches,  when  the  winter  school  was  going;  espe 
cially  to  James,  who  became  quite  an  enthusiast  in 
that  branch.  He  was  the  best  speller  in  school, 


TRIALS  AND   TRIUMPHS.  71 

when  more  than  half  the  pupils  were  older  than  he. 
Some  of  them  said  that  James  could  spell  every 
word  in  the  book  correctly.  Whether  he  could  or 
not,  in  choosing  sides  for  a  spelling-match,  James 
was  sure  to  be  the  first  one  chosen. 


V. 

BOY  FARMER, 

JT  eight  years  of  age,  James  had  his  daily 
labor  to  perform  as  steadily  as  Thomas. 
The  latter  went  out  to  work  among  the 
neighbors,  often  imposing  thereby  quite  a 
responsibility  upon  James,  who  looked  after  the 
stock  and  farm  at  home.  He  could  chop  wood, 
milk  cows,  shell  corn,  cultivate  vegetables,  and  do 
many  other  things  that  farmers  must  do. 

It  was  very  great  assistance  to  the  family  when 
Thomas  could  earn  a  little  money  by  his  labor. 
That  money  procured  some  indispensable  articles, 
the  absence  of  which  was  a  real  privation  both  to 
mother  and  children.  They  needed  more  money 
now  than  ever,  because  all  must  have  shoes,  and  all 
must  have  books  ,  and  there  were  the  teachers  to 
pay,  and  occasional  meetings  at  the  school-house 
now  were  some  expense.  So  that  the  earnings  of 
Thomas  just  met  a  demand  of  the  time,  in  which 
every  member  of  the  household  shared. 

"You  are  eight  years   old,  my  son,  and  Thomas 

72 


MOTHER  OF  JAMES  A.  GARFIELD. 


BOY  FARMER.  73 


is  seventeen,"  said  Mrs.  Garfield  to  James.  "  Thomas 
was  not  eleven  years  old  when  your  father  died, 
and  he  had  to  take  your  father's  place  on  the  farm. 
You  must  be  getting  ready  to  take  Thomas's  place, 
for  he  will  soon  be  of  age,  and  then  he  will  have  to 
go  out  into  the  world  to  seek  his  fortune,  and  you 
will  have  to  take  care  of  the  farm." 

"  I  can  do  that,"  James  answered. 

"Not  without  learning  how  to  do  it,"  said  his 
mother.  ' '  Practice  makes  perfect/  is  an  old  and 
true  proverb." 

"  I  know  that  I  can  take  care  of  the  farm  if  Tom 
could,"  interrupted  James,  with  some  assurance. 

"Yes,  when  you  are  as  old  as  he,"  suggested  his 
mother. 

"  That  is  what  I  mean,  —  when  I  get  to  be  as  old 
as  he  was." 

"  I  hope  that  some  day  you  will  do  something  bet 
ter  than  farming,"  continued  Mrs.  Garfield. 

"What  is  there  better  than  farming?"  James 
asked. 

"  It  is  better  for  some  men  to  teach  and  preach. 
Wouldn't  you  like  to  teach  schorl?  " 

"  When'l  am  old  enough,  I  should." 

"  Well,  it  won't  be  long  before  you  are  old  enough. 
If  you  are  qualified,  you  can  teach  school  when  you 
are  as  old  as  Thomas  is  now." 

"When  I  am  seventeen?"  James  responded  with 
some  surprise.  All  of  his  teachers  had  been  older 
than  that,  and  he  could  scarcely  see  how  he  could 
do  the  same  at  seventeen. 


74  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOLSE. 

"Yes,  at  seventeen  or  eighteen.  Many  young 
men  teach  school  as  early  as  that.  But  farming 
comes  first  in  order,  as  we  are  situated." 

"  And  it  is  time  to  get  the  cows  now,"  remarked 
James,  hurrying  off  for  them,  and  terminating  the 
conversation. 

James  was  a  self-reliant  boy,  just  the  one  to  take 
hold  of  farm  work  with  tact  and  vigor.  He  scarcely 
knew  what  "  I  can't"  meant.  It  was  an  expression 
that  he  never  used.  The  phrase  that  he  had  just 
employed  in  reply  to  his  mother,  "/  can  do  that" 
was  a  common  one  with  him.  Once  it  put  him  into 
a  laughable  position.  He  was  after  hens'  eggs  in 
the  barn,  with  his  playmate  Edwin  Mapes.  It  was 
just  about  the  time  he  was  eight  years  old,  perhaps 
a  little  older.  Edwin  found  a  pullet's  egg,  rather 
smaller  than  they  usually  discovered. 

"  Isn't  that  cunning?  "  said  Edwin,  holding  up  the 

egg- 

"  I  can  swaller  that,"  was  James'  prompt  answer. 

"Whole?" 

"Yes,  whole." 

"  You  can't  do  it." 

"  I  can  do  it." 

"I  stump  you  to  swaller  it,"  continued  Edwin, 
eager  to  see  the  experiment  tried. 

"  Not  much  of  a  stump,"  responded  James.  "Here 
it  goes ;  "  and  into  his  mouth  the  egg  went,  proving 
larger  than  he  anticipated,  or  else  his  throat  was 
smaller,  for  it  would  not  down  at  his  bidding. 

"No  use,  Jim,"  exclaimed  Edwin,  laughing  out- 


BOY  FARMER.  75 


right  over  his  failure.  w  The  egg  is  small,  but  it 
won't  fit  your  throat." 

"  It's  going  down,  yet,"  said  James,  resolutely, 
and  the  second  time  the  egg  was  thrust  into  his 
mouth. 

"  Shell  and  all,  I  s'pose,"  remarked  Edwin. 
"  S'pose  it  should  stick  in  your  crop,  you'd  be  in  a 
pretty  fix." 

"  But  it  won't  stick  in  my  crop,"  replied  James ; 
"it's  goin'  down.  I  undertook  to  swaller  it,  and  I'm 
goin'  to." 

The  egg  broke  in  his  mouth  when  he  almost  un 
consciously  brought  his  teeth  together,  making  a 
very  disagreeable  mush  of  shell  and  meat.  It  was 
altogether  too  much  of  a  good  thing,  and  proved 
rather  of  a  nauseating  dose.  His  stomach  heaved, 
his  face  scowled,  and  Edwin  roared  ;  still  James  held 
to  the  egg,  and  made  for  the  house  as  fast  as  his 
nimble  limbs  could  take  him,  Edwin  following  after, 
to  learn  what  next.  Rushing  into  the  house  James 
seized  a  piece  of  bread,  thrust  it  into  his  mouth, 
chewed  it  up  with  the  dilapidated  egg,  and  swal 
lowed  the  whole  together. 

"There!"  he  exclaimed,  "it's  done." 

He  did  what  he  said  he  would,  excepting  only 
that  the  egg  did  not  find  its  way  down  the  throat 
whole  ;  and  he  felt  like  a  conqueror.  Edwin  swayed 
to  and  fro  with  laughter;  and,  although  forty  years 
have  elapsed  since  that  day,  it  is  not  impossible  for 
him  to  get  up  a  laugh  over  it  still.  Mrs.  Garfield 
looked  on  with  curious  interest,  not  comprehending 


76  LOG-CAB1K    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

the  meaning  of  the  affair  until  an  explanation  fol 
lowed.  Then  she  only  smiled,  and  said,  "Foolish 
boy  ! " 

It  was  true,  what  she  said.  He  was  a  "foolish 
boy"  to  undertake  such  a  feat;  "foolish,"  just  as 
many  promising  boys  are  "foolish"  at  times.  But 
the  spirit  of  the  lad  appeared  through  the  "foolish  " 
act.  Nevertheless,  the  "lean"  element  of  his  char 
acter  rather  dignified  the  performance.  The  more 
we  think  of  it  the  more  we  are  inclined  to  take  back' 
our  endorsement  of  that  word  "foolish,"  because  the 
act  was  an  outcome  of  his  self-reliance.  When 
William  Carey,  the  renowned  missionary  to  India, 
was  a  boy,  he  possessed  a  daring,  adventurous 
spirit,  that  expressed  itself  in  climbing  trees  and 
buildings,  and  in  going  where,  and  doing  what,  few 
boys  would  do  because  of  the  peril.  One  day  he  fell 
from  the  top  of  a  tree,  on  which  he  perched  like  an 
owl,  and  broke  one  of  his  legs.  He  was  confined 
to  the  house  and  bed  several  weeks ;  but  the  first 
thing  he  did  on  his  recovery  was  to  climb  that  iden 
tical  tree  to  its  very  top,  and  seat  himself  on  the 
bough  from  which  he  had  fallen,  to  show  that  the 
feat  was  not  impossible.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
his  mother  called  him  "  a  foolish  boy,"  to  risk  his 
limbs  and  life  again  on  the  tree ;  but  his  admirers 
have  ever  loved  to  rehearse  the  deed,  as  proof  of  the 
boy's  invincible,  reliant  spirit.  No  one  who  reads 
of  Carey's  immense  labors  for  the  heathen,  his  fear 
lessness  in  great  danger,  his  hair-breadth  escapes 
from  death,  his  tact  and  coolness  in  every  emer- 


BOY  FARMER. 


gency,  can  fail  to  see  that  his  "  foolish  "  act  of  climb 
ing  the  tree  was  a  good  illustration  of  the  maxim, 
that  "The  boy  is  father  of  the  man." 

James  was  not  egotistical  or  self-confident ;  these 
are  no  part  of  self-reliance.  Nor  was  he  proud ; 
pride  is  no  part  of  self-reliance.  He  was  not  con 
scious  of  having  anything  to  be  proud  of.  No  boy 
was  ever  more  simple-hearted  and  confiding  in  others 
than  was  he.  He  did  not  tell  his  mother  that  he 
could  run  the  farm  because  he  overrated  his  abili- 
ities ;  it  was  the  honest  expression  of  what  he  was 
willing  to  do,  and  what  he  thought  he  could  do.  It 
was  the  opposite  of  that  inefficient,  irresolute  boy 
hood  that  exclaims,  "  I  can't,"  when  it  ought  to  be 
ashamed  to  say  it ;  and  when  a  decided,  hearty,  "  I 
can,"  would  prove  a  trumpet-call  to  duty,  rallying 
all  the  powers  to  instant  action.  This  was  one  thing 
that  encouraged  his  mother  to  expect  so  much  of 
him  when  he  should  become  a  man.  On  one  occa 
sion,  after  he  began  to  labor  on  the  farm,  and  quite 
a  task  was  before  him,  she  said  to  him  : 

"James,  half  the  battle  is  in  thinking  you  can  do  a 
thing.  My  father  used  to  say,  '  Where  there's  a  will, 
there's  a  way ;  *  repeating  a  proverb  that  is  as  old  as 
the  hills." 

"What  does  that  mean?"  interrupted  James,  re 
ferring  to  the  proverb. 

"  It  means,  that  he  who  wills  to  do  anything  will 
do  it.  That  is,  the  boy  who  relies  upon  himself, 
and  determines  to  perform  a  task  in  spite  of  difficul- 


78  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

ties,  will  accomplish  his  purpose.  You  can  do 
that?  "  And  his  mother  waited  for  a  reply. 

"  I  can,"  James  answered,  with  emphasis. 

"  Depend  upon  yourself.  Feel  that  you  are  equal 
to  the  work  in  hand,  and  it  will  be  easily  done. 
'God  helps  those  who  help  themselves,' it  is  said, 
and  I  believe  it.  He  has  helped  me  wonderfully 
since  your  father  died.  I  scarcely  knew  which  way 
to  turn  when  he  died ;  I  scarcely  saw  how  I  could 
live  here  in  the  woods ;  and  yet  I  could  find  no 
way  to  get  out  of  them  and  live.  But  just  as  soon 
as  I  fell  back  upon  God  and  myself,  I  took  up  the 
cross,  and  bore  it  easily.  We  have  fared  much  bet 
ter  than  I  expected ;  and  it  is  because  I  was  made 
to  feel  that '  Where  there's  a  will,  there's  a  way.'  God 
will  bless  all  our  efforts  to  do  the  best  we  can." 

"What '11  he  do  when  we  don't  do  the  best  we 
can  ?  "  inquired  James. 

"  He  will  withhold  his  blessing ;  and  that  is  the 
greatest  calamity  that  could  possibly  happen  to  us. 
We  can  do  nothing  well  without  his  blessing." 

"  I  thought  God  only  helped  people  be  good,"  re 
marked  James,  who  was  beginning  to  inquire  within 
himself  whether  He  helped  farmers. 

"  God  helps  folks  to  be  good  in  everything,  — 
good  boys,  good  men,  good  workers,  good  think 
ers,  good  farmers,  good  teachers,  good  everything. 
And  without  his  help  we  can  be  good  in  nothing." 

James  drank  in  every  word,  and  looked  very 
much  as  if  he  believed  that  he  and  God  could  run 
the  farm  successfully.  His'  mother  continued : 


BOY  FARMER, 


79 


"  If  you  do  one  thing  well  you  will  do  another 
well,  and  so  on  to  the  end.  You  will  soon  learn 
that  your  own  efforts  are  necessary  to  accomplish 
anything,  and  so  you  will  form  the  habit  of  depend 
ing  upon  yourself, —  the  only  way  to  make  the  most 
of  yourself." 

Such  was  the  instruction  that  James  received  from 
the  wisest  of  mothers,  just  when  such  lessons  respect 
ing  self-reliance  would  do  him  the  most  good.  It  was 
on  this  line  that  he  was  started  off  in  his  boyhood, 
and  he  followed  that  line  thereafter.  He  had  no 
one  to  help  him  upward,  and  he  had  no  desire  to 
have  anybody  help  him.  Unlike  boys  who  depend 
upon  some  rich  father  or  uncle  to  give  them  "  a  good 
start,"  or  upon  superior  advantages,  he  settled  down 
upon  the  stubborn  fact,  that  if  anything  was  ever 
made  out  of  him  he  must  do  it  himself.  Hard  work 
was  before  him,  and  hard  fare,  and  he  expected  no 
thing  less.  A  statesman  who  rose  from  obscurity  to 
eminence  once  said,  "  Whatever  may  be  thought  of 
my  attainments,  it  must  be  conceded  that  I  made  as. 
much  out  of  the  stuff  put  into  my  hands  as  was  pos 
sible."  That  the  germ  of  such  an  impulse  must 
have  taken  root  in  James'  heart  early,  is  quite  evident 
from  some  remarks  of  his  to  young  men  after  he  was 
forty  years  old. 

K  Occasion  cannot  make  spurs,  young  men.  If 
you  expect  to  wear  spurs,  you  must  win  them.  If 
you  wish  to  use  them,  you  must  buckle  them  to  your 
own  heels  before  you  go  into  the  fight.  Any  suc 
cess  you  may  achieve  is  not  worth  having  ?mless 


80  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

you  fight  for  it.  Whatever  you  win  in  life  you  must 
conquer  by  your  own  efforts,  and  then  it  is  yours,— 
a  part  of  yourself.  ....  Let  not  poverty  stand  as 
an  obstacle  in  your  way.  Poverty  is  uncomfortable, 
as  I  can  testify ;  but  nine  times  out  of  ten  the  best 
thing  that  can  happen  to  a  young  man  is  to  be  tossed 
overboard,  and  compelled  to  sink  or  swim  for  him 
self.  In  all  my  acquaintance  I  have  never  known 

one  to  be  drowned  who  was  worth  saving 

To  a  young  man  who  has  in  himself  the  magnificent 
possibilities  of  life  it  is  not  fitting  that  he  should  be 
permanently  commanded ;  he  should  be  a  com 
mander.  You  must  not  continue  to  be  employed; 
you  must  be  an  employer.  You  must  be  promoted 
from  the  ranks  to  a  command.  There  is  something, 
young  men,  that  you  can  command ;  go  and  find 
it,  and  command  it.  You  can  at  least  command  a 
horse  and  dray,  can  be  generalissimo  of  them,  and 
may  carve  out  a  fortune  with  them." 

Another  incident  of  James'  early  life  illustrates  the 
phase  of  his  character  in  question,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  shows  his  aptitude  in  unexpected  emergencies. 
He  was  eight  or  ten  years  of  age  when  it  occurred, 
a  pupil  in  school  with  his  cousin,  Henry  Boynton. 
Sitting  side  by  side,  one  day  they  became  more 
roguish  than  usual,  without  intending  to  violate  the 
rules  of  school.  Sly  looks  and  an  occasional  laugh 
satisfied  the  teacher,  who  was  a  sharp  disciplinarian, 
that  something  unusual  was  going  on,  and  he  con 
cluded  that  the  wisest  treatment  would  be  to  stop  it 
at  once. 


BOY  FARMER.  8 1 

"James  and  Henry  I  "  he  called  out,  loudly,  w  lay 
aside  your  books  and  go  home,  both  of  you." 

A  clap  of  thunder  would  not  have  startled  them 
more.  They  looked  at  each  other  seriously,  as  if 
the  result  was  entirely  unexpected,  and  delayed  for 
a  moment. 

"  Don't  dilly-dally,"  exclaimed  the  teacher ;  "both 
of  you  go  home  immediately." 

"  I  will  go,"  answered  James.  Henry  said  noth 
ing  ;  and  both  passed  out.  James  made  an  express 
of  his  dexterous  legs,  shortening  the  distance  from 
the  school-house  to  home  to  about  three  or  four  min 
utes,  and  an  equal  time  to  return.  Returning  to 
school,  he  entered  the  room,  puffing  like  an  engine, 
and  resumed  his  seat. 

"James  !  did  I  not  tell  you  to  go  home?"  shouted 
the  teacher,  never  dreaming  that  the  boy  had  had 
time  to  obey  the  mandate. 

"I  have  been  home,"  answered  James,  not  in  the 
least  disconcerted.  He  had  obeyed  his  teacher 
promptly,  though  he  took  very  good  care  that  his 
mother  did  not  see  him  when  he  reached  the  cabin. 

"Been  home?"  responded  the  teacher,  inquiring 
ly,  surprised  that  the  boy  had  been  home  in  so  short 
a  time. 

"Yes,  sir,  I  have  been  home,"  replied  James ; 
"you  didn't  tell  me  to  stay." 

"Well,  you  can  stay  here,  now,"  answered  the 

teacher  with  a  smile,  thinking  that  was  the  best  way 

to  dispose  of  so  good  a  joke.     James  remained,  and 

was  very  careful  not  to  be  sent  home  again,  lest  the 

6 


82  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

affair  might  not  terminate  so  pleasantly.  Henry 
sulked  about  the  school-house  for  a  while,  and  then 
went  home  and  stayed  the  remainder  of  the  day. 
That  was  the  difference  between  the  two  boys. 
James  saw  the  way  out  of  the  trouble  at  once, 
through  the  most  literal  obedience,  and,  believing 
that  he  was  equal  to  the  emergency,  he  started 
promptly  to  fulfil  the  command.  He  was  neither 
sulky  nor  rebellious,  but  happy  as  a  lark,  lively  as 
a  cricket,  and  smiling  as  a  morning  in  May.  Such 
a  little  episode  rather  tightened  the  bond  existing 
between  the  teacher  and  James.  The  former  dis 
covered  more  of  that  sharp  discrimination  and  prac 
tical  wit  in  the  affair,  for  which  he  had  already 
learned  that  James  was  distinguished. 

James  was  now  eleven  years  old,  and  Thomas 
was  twenty.  The  district  concluded  to  erect  a  frame 
school-house,  and  sold  the  old  one  to  Thomas  for  a 
triile.  Thomas  and  James,  assisted  by  their  cousins, 
the  Boynton  boys,  took  it  down,  and  put  it  up  again 
directly  in  the  rear  of  their  mother's  cabin,  thus  pro 
viding  her  with  an  additional  room,  which  was  a 
great  convenience.  Thomas  did  it  in  anticipation 
of  leaving  home  when  he  should  attain  his  majority. 


VI. 
SUNDAY  IN  THE   WOODS. 

IIONEERS  need  a  Sabbath  full  as  much 
as  anybody  else,"  was  Mrs.  Garfield's  re 
mark  to  James,  and  her  other  children. 
" f  Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it 
holy,'  is  a  commandment  that  must  be  kept  in  the 
woods  as  faithfully  as  elsewhere.  In  large  towns 
and  cities  people  prepare  for  this  by  building  houses 
of  worship,  some  of  them  with  tall  and  handsome 
spires,  pointing  to  heaven,  with  bells  in  the  towers." 
"What  for  do  they  want  bells?"  inquired  James, 
to  whom  this  announcement  about  houses  of  wor 
ship  and  bells  was  a  revelation.  Neither  James  nor 
the  other  children  had  seen  a  house  of  worship,  or 
heard  a  Sabbath  bell,  and  their  mother  touched 
upon  a  theme  as  new  and  fascinating  as  a  novel 
when  she  described  Sabbath  scenes  in  large  towns. 

"The  bells  call  people  to  worship  promptly,  by 
ringing  at  the  time  of  meeting,"  Mrs.  Garfield  re 
plied  to  James'  question. 

"  Bells  would  not  be  of  much  use  '.o  pioneers,  who 
live  so  far  apart,  even  if  they  could  afford  to  have 
them,"  she  continued. 


84  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"Wouldn't  they  sound  splendid  in  the  forests?" 
exclaimed  James. 

"Indeed  they  would,"  responded  his  mother ;  "and 
they  would  be  good  company,  too.  I  imagine  it 
would  not  be  so  lonesome  if  Sabbath  bells  echoed 
through  the  wilderness.  But  pioneers  ought  to  be 
thankful  that  they  can  ever  have  preaching,  under 
any  circumstances  whatever." 

"I  should  like  to  live  in  a  big  town  where  they 
have  meetin'-houses  with  tall  spires,"  added  James. 

"Perhaps  you  will  some  day,"  suggested  his 
mother.  "  None  of  us  will  live  to  see  them  in  this 
town,  probably." 

The  last  remark  was  rather  of  a  damper  upon 
James'  aspirations,  who  scarcely  expected,  then, 
ever  to  find  a  home  elsewhere.  The  foregoing  con 
versation  will  derive  significance  from  an  acquaint 
ance  with  the  religious  privileges  of  the  family. 

At  the  time  of  which  we  are  speaking  there  was 
no  stated  preaching  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Garfield 
estate.  The  sect  called  Disciples  held  occasional 
services  in  school-houses  and  dwelling-houses.  These 
occasional  services  began  before  the  death  of  Mr. 
Garfield.  As  the  latter,  with  his  wife,  had  united 
with  that  sect  before  removing  into  the  township  of 
Orange,  they  were  especially  ready  to  welcome  the 
itinerant  preacher  to  their  log-cabin,  and  to  the 
school-house.  Sometimes  the  meeting  was  at  a 
cabin  or  school-house  five,  six,  and  even  eight 
miles  away.  It  was  not  unusual,  in  James'  boy 
hood,  for  pioneers  to  travel  six  and  eight  miles  to  a 


SUNDA  Y  IN  THE   WOODS.  85 

religious  meeting,  on  Sunday.  They  went  with  ox- 
teams  and  horse-teams,  single  and  double,  and  some 
men  and  boys  walked  the  whole  distance.  Often,  in 
some  sections,  the  father  would  ride  horseback  to 
meeting,  with  his  wife  on  a  pillion  behind  him,  car 
rying  her  youngest  child,  the  older  children  follow 
ing  on  foot.  The  meagre  religious  privileges  were 
highly  valued,  and  there  was  much  labor  and  hard 
ship  involved  in  availing  themselves  of  them. 

The  preachers  of  that  day  were  illiterate  men,  — 
good,  but  uncultivated.  They  \\ere  pioneer  preach 
ers,  just  as  the  settlers  were  pioneer  settlers.  They 
were  well  suited,  perhaps,  to  the  times  and  locality, 
—  rough,  sincere,  earnest  men,  who  found  real 
satisfaction  in  traveling  through  the  destitute  coun 
try,  usually  on  horseback,  to  do  the  people  spiritual 
good.  Occasionally  there  was  a  remarkable  preacher 
among  them,  possessing  great  native  ability,  force 
of  character,  and  singular  magnetic  presence.  These 
were  especially  welcome,  although  any  one  of  the 
number  was  received  cordially.  In  their  travels 
they  called  at  all  cabins,  as  pastors  now  make  visits 
from  house  to  house,  their  visits  being  chiefly  of  a 
religious  character.  They  ate  and  lodged  in  cabins, 
wherever  noon  and  night  overtook  them.  The  best 
fare  that  a  cabin  had  was  cheerfully  set  before  them, 
and  the  best  advice  and  sympathy  the  preacher  could 
command  were  freely  proffered.  It  is  not  possible 
for  us,  at  this  day,  to  say  how  great  was  the  influ 
ence  of  this  pastoral  work.  Men  may  read  about  it, 
and  laugh  over  it  now,  but  there  can  be  no  doubt 


86  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

that  it  provided  a  much  needed  and  indispensable 
source  of  Christian  power,  influence,  and  enjoyment. 
It  contributed  largely  to  make  pioneer  life  nobler, 
and,  in  an  important  sense,  educational. 

James  enjoyed  no  better  opportunities  of  religious 
worship  than  we  have  described,  before  he  was  ten 
years  of  age.  Occasional  worship  was  a  privilege 
that  he  highly  prized,  as  others  did.  He  did  not 
readily  let  slip  an  opportunity  to  attend  public  wor 
ship.  And  the  impressions  it  left  upon  his  heart 
were  gauged  by  his  deep  interest  in  such  occasions. 

Whether  there  was  any  meeting  or  not,  however, 
the  weekly  Sabbath  was  recognized  in  the  Garfield 
cabin.  No  labor  upon  that  clay,  except  works  of 
necessity,  was  the  rule  carefully  observed.  The 
Bible  stood  in  the  place  of  preacher.  It  was  both 
read  and  studied.  Mrs.  Garfield's  rule  was  to  read 
four  chapters  daily  on  week  days,  and  more  on  the 
Sabbath,  when  she  formally  expounded  it  in  her 
sensible  and  thoughtful  manner.  The  children  asked 
questions  as  well  as  she.  James  was  especially  in 
quisitive  about  the  Scriptures,  and,  after  he  learned 
to  read,  he  read  them  much,  both  on  the  Sabbath 
and  week  days.  Bible  stories  that  he  learned  from 
his  mother's  lips  before  he  could  speak  plainly,  be 
came  invested  with  new  charms  when  he  could  read 
them  at  his  leisure.  He  became  so  familiar  with 
many  narratives,  that  he  knew  just  where  in  the 
Bible  to  turn  to  them  ;  and  he  had  a  multitude  of 
questions  to  ask  about  "God's  book,"  as  his  mother 
reverently  called  it. 


SUNDA  Y  IN  THE   WOODS.  87 

_ 

"  How  do  you  know  that  it  is  '  God's  book,'  moth 
er?"  he  asked. 

"Because  it  is  not  like  any  book  that  man  ever 
wrote." 

"You  said  once  that  Moses,  Isaiah,  David,  Mat 
thew,  Paul,  and  others  wrote  it,"  recalling  his  moth 
er's  explanation  of  different  books. 

"Yes,  that  is  true,  they  did  write  it;  but  they 
wrote  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  They 
could  not  have  written  it  without  God's  help.  They 
wrote  just  what  God  told  them,  by  His  Spirit,  to 
write." 

"  And  that  is  why  you  call  it  God's  book?  "  James 
inquired. 

"  Yes ;  He  is  the  author  of  it,  although  He  di 
rected  men  to  write  it,  and  guided  them,  also,  in 
doing  it." 

"Are  all  the  stories  in  it  true  stories?" 

"  Yes  ;  every  one  of  them." 

"  Is  it  true  that  Joseph  had  a  coat  of  many  differ 
ent  colors  ?  " 

"I  expect  it  is." 

"Why  didn't  he  have  a  coat  of  one  color?  Would 
it  not  be  easier  to  make  such  a  one?  " 

"  His  father  loved  him  more  than  he  did  his  other 
children,  and  he  made  such  a  coat  for  him  out  of  his 
partiality." 

"  Did  he  do  right  to  love  one  of  his  children  more 
than  he  did  others?" 

"No;  he  did  not." 

w  Was  his  father  a  good  man?  " 


88  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

"Yes.     Some  good  men  do  wrong." 

"  If  good  men  do  wrong,  how  do  you  know  them 
from  bad  men?" 

"  They  don't  do  so  many  wicked  things,  nor  so  bad 
things,  as  bad  men  do." 

"Can't  good  men  stop  doing  bad  things?" 

"Yes;  with  God's  help." 

"Don't  God  always  help  them?" 

"  No." 

"Why  don't  he?" 

"  Perhaps  they  don't  deserve  it." 

"  Can't  men  be  good  without  his  help?* 

"  No  ;  and  what  is  worse,  they  won't  be." 

"Why  won't  they?" 

"  Because  they  are  so  wicked." 

"  How  can  they  be  good  then  ?  "  meaning  that  he 
could  not  see  how  a  good  man  could  be  a  wicked 
man  at  the  same  time. 

In  this  dialogue  appears  the  inquisitiveness  of 
James,  as  well  as  his  discrimination  and  thoughtful- 
ness.  Often  his  mother  was  unable  to  answer  his 
boyish  questions  about  the  Bible.  Their  depth  and 
point  confounded  her.  It  was  here,  especially,  that 
she  had  unmistakable  proof  of  his  remarkable  tal 
ents.  It  was  around  the  old  family  Bible  that  the 
chief  interest  of  the  Sabbath  clustered  in  her  rude 
home.  It  was  to  her  family  what  a  Constitution  is  to 
the  State,  and  what  character  is  to  the  individual. 
Largely  it  made  up  for  the  absence  of  books,  teach 
ers,  money,  and  conveniences.  It  would  be  quite 
impossible  to  say  how  much  unalloyed  happiness  it 


SUNDA  Y  IN  THE   WOODS.  89 

contributed  to  the  family.  Certainly  its  wise  teach 
ings  were  so  indelibly  impressed  upon  James'  heart 
that  its  contents  were  more  familiar  to  him  at  forty 
years  of  age  than  they  are  to  most  Christian  men, 
so  that  its  figures,  symbols,  and  laconic  sentences 
adorned  his  public  addresses,  to  the  admiration  of 
listeners. 

It  is  probable  that  James  and  his  brother  and  sis 
ters  received  more  real  valuable  lessons,  to  assist  in 
the  formation  of  good  habits,  and  to  establish  noble 
purposes,  in  their  western  cabin,  than  the  children 
of  many  Christian  families  do  from  the  constant 
ministrations  of  public  worship.  The  absence  of 
religious  advantages  was  a  good  reason  for  the  best 
improvement  of  the  few  enjoyed.  The  mother,  too, 
felt  additional  obligations  to  guide,  instruct,  and 
mould  the  hearts  of  her  offspring,  because  there  was 
so  little  outside  of  her  cabin  to  aid  her.  For  these 
reasons,  perhaps  James  enjoyed  better  advantages  to 
become  distinguished  than  he  would  have  had  in 
the  more  populous  and  wealthy  parts  of  the  country. 

When  James  was  eight  years  old  the  Temperance 
Reformation  was  moving  on  with  power.  The  New 
England  states  presented  a  scene  of  enthusiasm 
without  precedent,  and  the  interest  spread  into 
north-eastern  Ohio.  Even  the  cabins  of  pioneers  were 
reached  by  the  wave  of  influence  for  temperance. 
Mrs.  Garfield  was  just  the  woman  to  welcome  such 
a  reform,  and  to  appreciate  its  true  value.  The  sub 
ject  was  a  fitting  one  for  the  Sabbath,  although  it 
was  not  neglected  on  other  days.  As  the  handmaid 


go  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

of  religion,  it  challenged  her  best  thoughts  and  ef 
forts. 

"  Drunkenness  is  a  terrible  sin,"  she  said,  "  and  I 
was  always  glad  that  your  father  had  the  same  view 
of  it  that  I  have." 

"Didn't  he  drink  rum  or  whiskey?"  asked  James. 

"  Seldom ;  and  he  got  out  of  patience  with  men 
intoxicated.  He  thought  they  were  very  weak  men 
by  nature." 

"  Why  don't  men  stop  drinking  it,  when  it  is  hurt 
ing  them?"  James  inquired. 

"  It  is  difficult  to  say  why  they  don't.  Some  think 
they  can't  do  it." 

"  Can't  stop  !  "  James  exclaimed  with  surprise. 

"  It  is  said  that  they  can't  stop,  —  that  they  form 
such  a  terrible  appetite  that  they  can't  control  it." 

"  I  would,"  responded  James,  with  characteristic 
firmness. 

"Better  never  begin  to  use  intoxicating  liquors; 
that  is  the  only  safe  course.  It  is  easier  not  to  begin 
to  go  wrong,  than  it  is  to  turn  back  and  do  better 
after  beginning." 

"  What  do  men  drink  liquor  for?  " 

"It  would  be  difficult  to  tell  what  some  of  them 
drink  it  for,  I  think.  Most  men  drink  it  because 
they  like  it,  I  suppose." 

"  Does  it  taste  good?  " 

"  I  suppose  it  does  to  those  who  like  it." 

"  I  should  like  to  taste  of  some  just  to  see  what  it 
tastes  like,"  added  James. 

"  I  rather  you  would  never  know  how  it  tastes, 


SUNDA  Y  IN  THE   WOODS. 


my  son.  If  you  never  taste  it,  you  can  never  be 
come  a  drunkard,  that  is  certain.  '  Look  not  thou 
upon  the  wine  when  it  is  red,  when  it  giveth  his 
color  in  the  cup,  when  it  moveth  itself  aright.  At 
the  last  it  biteth  like  a  serpent,  and  stingeth  like  an 
adder.'  Nothing  could  be  truer  than  that." 

"  What  is  there  in  rum  that  makes  it  hurt  people 
so  ?  "  continued  James. 

"  There  is  alcohol  in  it,  and  it  is  that  which  makes 
drunkards.  It  don't  hurt  any  one  to  drink  milk  or 
water,  does  it?" 

"  Of  course  it  don't." 

"  Well,  there's  the  difference  between  these  whole 
some  drinks  and  intoxicating  liquors  ;  there  is  no 
alcohol  in  the  milk  and  water." 

"What  for  do  they  put  alcohol  into  them  if  it 
hurts  people?  " 

Mrs.  Garfield  explained  the  last  question  as  best 
she  could,  assuring  him  that  the  alcohol  was  not  put 
in,  but  was  developed  in  the  drink  by  an  artificial 
process,  and  that  men  wanted  to  produce  the  alco 
hol  in  order  to  make  money. 

In  this  way  the  great  reformatory  idea  of  that 
day  found  a  lodgment  in  the  Garfield  cabin.  James 
did  not  obtain  a  very  definite  idea  of  the  enormous 
evil  of  intemperance,  living  where  he  had  no  oppor 
tunity  to  observe  it  ;  but  his  idea  was  distinct  enough 
to  cause  him  to  abhor  the  cause  of  the  woe.  His 
mother  gave  him  facts  enough  respecting  the  curse 
of  intemperance,  that  had  come  under  her  own 
observation,  to  show  him  that  intemperance  was  a 


92  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

terrible  evil,  and  his  young  heart  was  fully  resolved 
to  avoid  the  way  to  it. 

Another  lesson  that  made  Sunday  in  the  woods 
a  memorable  day  to  James,  although  it  was  promi 
nent  on  other  days  also,  was  loyalty  to  the  country. 
Mrs.  Garfield's  memory  was  full  of  facts  respecting 
the  sacrifices  and  sufferings  of  her  ancestors  to  de 
fend  and  preserve  American  Independence ;  and 
many  an  hour,  as  we  have  already  intimated,  was 
whiled  away  in  recitals  of  their  heroic  deeds. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  James  formed  an  exalted 
idea  of  what  we  call  LOYALTY  from  these  stories 
that  were  so  inspiring  and  marvellous  to  the  young. 
It  is  often  the  case  that  indirect  methods  fasten  upon 
the  young  mind  so  tenaciously  that  they  outlast 
many  lessons  that  have  been  imparted  with  the 
utmost  care  and  hopefulness.  It  is  certain  that 
James  derived  an  impulse  from  some  source,  in 
regard  to  loyalty,  that  contributed  to  make  this  vir 
tue  one  of  the-  most  prominent  elements  of  his  char 
acter  in  manhood.  Although  his  mother  did  not 
formally  imitate  the  example  of  the  father  of  Han 
nibal,  who  led  his  son  to  the  altar  of  his  divinity  at 
eight  years  of  age,  and  made  him  swear  eternal 
hate  to  the  enemies  of  Rome,  yet  she  did  what 
'was  tantamount  to  that,  and  what  secured  as  effec 
tually  the  devotion  of  her  son  to  the  defence  of  his 
country. 

"Never  be  afraid  to  do  what  is  right,"  Mrs.  Gar- 
field  remarked.  "The  biggest  coward  in  the  world 
is  the  man  who  is  afraid  to  do  right." 


SUNDAY  IN  THE    WOODS.  93 

"I  shouldn't  think  men  would  be  afraid  to  do 
right,"  remarked  James. 

"  I  shouldn't  think  boys  would  be  afraid  to  do 
right,"  responded  his  mother,  perceiving  that  James 
scarcely  thought  there  was  an  opportunity  for  this 
sort  of  bravery  in  boyhood.  "  Boys  don't  dare  to 
do  right  sometimes." 

"  When?  "  inquired  James,  as  if  he  questioned  the 
truth  of  the  latter  statement. 

"  When  they  don't  dare  to  obey  their  mothers  or 
teachers  because  their  companions  don't  want  they 
should,"  answered  his  mother,  intending  to  remind 
him  of  certain  facts  in  his  owrn  boyish  life. 

"  I  thought  you  meant  when  I  got  to  be  a  man," 
said  James,  with  a  look  denoting  that  he  was  hit. 

"  I  meant  when  a  boy,  as  well.  If  you  don't  be 
gin  to  stand  up  for  the  right  when  you  are  young, 
you  never  will  when  you  are  old.  'The  boy  is  fa 
ther  of  the  man,'  is  a  proverb  as  true  as  it  is  old. 
Then  a  cowardly  boy  is  as  contemptible  as  a  cow 
ardly  man.  Obey  your  mother  and  teacher  though 
all  your  companions  laugh  at  you." 

"  I  do,"  answered  James. 

"  Yes,  I  think  you  do,  generally  ;  and  I  speak  of 
it  now,  that  you  may  give  even  more  attention  to  it 
in  the  future  than  in  the  past,  and  grow  more  and 
more  fearless  to  oppose  wrong  as  you  grow  older. 
When  you  become  a  man  you  will  meet  with  many 
more,  and  greater  temptations,  than  you  have  now, 
and  unless  you  have  more  decision  and  courage  you 
will  not  be  equal  to  the  circumstances." 


94  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Daniel's  bravery  got  him  into  the  den  of  lions," 
suggested  James. 

ft  Very  true  ;  and  it  was  better  for  him  to  be  in  a 
den  of  lions,  with  God  on  his  side,  than  a  friend  of  the 
king  with  God  against  him.  If  you  are  like  Daniel 
in  moral  courage  I  shall  be  satisfied.  The  lions 
could  not  devour  him  so  long  as  God  was  his  friend ; 
and  God  is  always  the  friend  of  those  who  stand  by 
the  right." 

James  never  had  other  than  royal  lessons  upon 
moral  courage  and  kindred  qualities.  These  things, 
which  lie  at  the  very  foundation  of  stability  of  char 
acter  and  personal  excellence,  were  ingrained  into 
his  early  life.  The  Sabbath  furnished  a  favorable 
opportunity  for  special  efforts  in  this  direction, 
though  every  day  in  the  week  bore  witness  in  the 
same  line. 

We  must  not  close  this  chapter  without  reference 
to  one  fact  connected  with  the  Garfield  family  that 
is  worthy  of  particular  attention.  It  was  their  w  coat- 
of-arms."  A  coat-of-arms  formerly  was  a  "  habit 
worn  by  knights  over  their  armor.  It  was  a  short- 
sleeved  coat  or  tunic,  reaching  to  the  waist,  and  em 
broidered  with  their  armorial  ensigns  and  various 
devices."  The  Garfield  coat-of-arms  consisted  of  a 
shield,  with  a  gold  ground,  three  horizontal  crimson 
bars  crossing  it  in  one  corner,  over  it  a  helmet  with 
raised  visor,  together  with  a  heart,  and  above  the 
whole  an  arm  wielding  a  sword,  on  which  was  in 
scribed  the  motto,  /;;  crucc  vtnca  — "  THROUGH 
FAITH  I  CONQUER." 


SUNDA  Y  IN  THE    WOODS.  95 

What  we  wish  to  say  about  this  coat-of-arms  re 
lates  to  the  motto.  It  tells  of  a  courage  that  was 
born  of  faith  in  God,  such  as  was  found  in  the  Ohio 
cabin,  and  without  which  the  sorrows  and  hardships 
that  invested  its  early  history  would  have  proved  too 
much  for  flesh  and  blood.  It  is  a  grand  spirit  to 
brood  over  a  human  habitation,  beneath  whose  roof 
childhood  buds  and  blossoms  into  true  life.  It  ap 
propriates  the  Sabbath,  Bible,  and  every  other  hal 
lowed  power  that  is  accessible,  to  the  "  life  that  now 
is,"  because  of  another  "  life  that  is  to  come."  It  was 
this  spirit  that  James  nursed  from  his  mother's  breast, 
and  inhaled  from  the  domestic  atmosphere  that 
wrapped  his  boyhood,  to  arouse  heroic  qualities, 
and  bend  them  to  victorious  work. 

When  James  was  about  ten  years  old,  his  uncle, 
Amos  Boynton,  organized  a  congregation  in  the 
school-house,  and  took  charge  of  it  himself,  when 
no  minister  was  on  the  ground.  Mr.  Boynton  was 
a  man  of  excellent  abilities,  and  a  very  devoted 
Christian  man.  He  was  more  familiar  with  the 
Bible  than  any  man  in  the  township,  and  could  re 
peat  large  portions  of  it.  A  copy  of  the  Scriptures 
was  his  constant  companion.  He  carried  it  with 
him  into  the  field.  If  he  stopped  to  rest  himself,  or 
his  cattle,  the  brief  time  was  spent  in  reading  the 
Book  of  books.  His  familiarity  with  the  Bible  quali 
fied  him  to  conduct  Sabbath  services  in  the  log 
school-house ;  and  they  were  of  great  moral  and 
spiritual  advantage  to  the  people.  To  James  they 
were  of  as  much  real  value  as  to  any  one. 


96  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

At  that  time  religious  controversy  ran  high  in 
northern  Ohio.  The  Disciples  were  a  new  sect, 
and  all  other  sects  denounced  them  ;  while  they,  in 
turn,  expressed  themselves  freely  concerning  the 
errors  and  follies  of  their  opponents.  James  often 
heard  discussions  at  home  upon  these  controverted 
religious  questions,  in  which  his  mother  engaged 
with  others.  It  was  not  unusual  for  preachers  to  refer 
to  them  in  their  sermons  ;  and  always,  when  preach 
ers  staid  at  his  mother's  house,  as  they  often  did, 
these  questions  were  discussed,  and  they  made  a 
deep  impression  upon  the  active  mind  of  James.  So 
bright  a  boy  as  he  could  scarcely  fail  to  see  that  vast 
importance  attached  to  subjects  in  which  the  minis 
ters  and  his  mother  were  so  much  interested.  These 
controversies  lent  more  or  less  importance  to  Sunday 
in  the  woods. 

Among  the  topics  discussed  was  Baptism,  the 
Disciples  being  immersionists.  The  extent  to  which 
James'  mind  was  impressed  by  these  discussions  is 
learned  from  the  following  fact.  Considerable  politi 
cal  excitement  prevailed  in  that  part  of  Ohio  in  the 
"  Harrison  Campaign."  The  neighbors  were  all 
for  Harrison, — Whigs,  —  and  James  had  heard  his 
mother  say  that  his  father  was  a  Whig,  and  a  great 
admirer  of  Henry  Clay,  and  voted  for  him  when  he 
was  a  candidate  for  President.  One  day  some 
neighbors  were  discussing  politics  in  James'  pres 
ence,  when  one  of  them  asked  him,  in  a  sportive 
way,  "Jimmy,  what  are  you,  Democrat,  or  Whig?  " 


SUNDA  Y  IN  THE   WOODS.  97 

"I'm  Whig;  but  I'm  not  baptized"  answered 
James. 

The  subject  of  Baptism  was  so  thoroughly  im 
pressed  upon  his  mind,  and  the  subject  of  Whigism, 
also,  that  the  little  fellow  supposed  he  could  not 
be  a  properly  constructed  Whig  until  he  was  bap 
tized. 


m. 

HIGHER  UP. 

|ALLO,  Jim,  now  you'll  have  to  be  a  far 
mer  in  earnest !  for  I  am  going  to  Michi 
gan,"  said  Thomas,  as  he  returned  from 
Cleveland.  "  Got  a  place  out  there." 

"Where?"  inquired  James,  not  understanding 
where  it  was  that  his  brother  was  going. 

"  To  Michigan,"  repeated  Thomas.  "  It  is  more 
of  a  wilderness  than  Orange  is." 

*  I  know  that,"  answered  James.  w  What  you 
goin'  to  do  out  there?  " 

"Clearin',"  replied  Thomas;  "twelve  dollars  a 
month." 

"You  don't  get  so  much  as  that,  do  you?"  said 
James,  to  whom  that  amount  of  monthly  wages 
seemed  enormous. 

"  Yes,  twelve  dollars  a  month.  It's  hard  work, 
early  and  late.  Mother  shall  have  a  frame-house, 
now." 

"Good  I"  was  James'  answer  of  evident  satisfao 
tion. 

98 


HIGHER  UP.  99 


At  this  time  James  was  twelve  years  old,  and 
Thomas  was  twenty-one ;  a  period  that  had  been 
much  discussed  in  the  family,  in  anticipation  of  its 
arrival.  There  was  a  definite  understanding  be 
tween  Thomas  and  his  mother  that  the  former 
should  leave  home  at  twenty-one,  and  James  should 
run  the  farm.  It  was  important  that  Thomas 
should  be  earning  something  abroad  now  that  he 
had  attained  to  his  majority,  and  James  was  old 
enough  to  attend  to  affairs  at  home.  Thomas  went 
to  Cleveland  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  work, 
without  any  definite  idea  of  what  that  work  would 
be.  Emigration  to  Michigan  was  increasing,  and 
there  was  considerable  excitement  over  the  resources 
of  that  state,  so  that  labor  was  in  considerable  de 
mand  for  that  section.  The  first  opportunity  that 
opened  to  Thomas  he  accepted  without  hesitation, 
and  it  was,  as  already  announced,  clearing  land  for 
a  farmer  in  Michigan,  at  twelve  dollars  a  month. 

Thomas  passed  into  the  house  with  James  to  make 
known  the  result  of  his  errand  to  Cleveland. 

"  I  hope  it  will  prove  all  for  the  best,"  remarked 
Mrs.  Garfield,  after  hearing  the  report.  "It's  farther 
away  than  I  expected." 

"Yes,  it  is  some  distance ;  but  that  is  of  little  con 
sequence,  after  all.  It's  good  pay." 

"  How  far  is  it?  "  asked  James,  who  was  intensely 
interested  in  the  contemplated  change. 

"  I  don't  know  exactly,"  answered  his  mother : 
"it's  farther  than  I  wish  it  was." 


100  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"Will  you  live  in  a  log-house,  Tom?"  James  con 
tinued. 

"  Yes ;  a  cabin  not  half  so  large  and  good  as 
this." 

"  How  long  shall  you  be  gone?" 

"  Six  months  certain  ;  perhaps  longer." 

"And  you  will  have  to  take  Tom's  place  on  the 
farm,"  said  Mrs.  Garfield,  addressing  James.  "That 
will  be  taking  a  step  higher." 

"I  can  do  it,"  responded  James,  "though  I  am 
sorry  Tom  is  goin'." 

"We  shall  miss  him  sadly,"  remarked  Mrs.  Gar- 
field.  "  It  will  be  more  lonesome  than  ever  when 
he  is  gone ;  but  we  must  make  the  best  of  it." 

"It  will  be  best  all  round,  I'm  thinking,"  said 
Thomas,  "  if  it  is  the  way  for  you  to  have  a  frame- 
house,  mother.  I  mean  that  shall  come  about." 

"That  will  be  nice,  won't  it,  mother?"  exclaimed 
James,  who  was  thoroughly  prepared  to  appreciate 
a  real  house,  after  twelve  years'  occupancy  of  a 
cabin. 

"Yes,  it  will  be  nice  indeed,  almost  too  nice  to 
prove  a  reality,"  replied  his  mother. 

"  It  will  prove  a  reality,"  remarked  Thomas  with 
decision. 

Thomas  had  spent  much  time,  during  the  last  five 
years,  in  cutting  and  preparing  lumber  for  a  new 
house,  hoping  the  time  would  come  when  his  mother 
could  command  money  enough  to  employ  a  carpen 
ter  to  erect  it.  He  had  prepared  sufficient  lumber 
for  the  house  \vhen  he  became  twenty-one  years  of 


HIGHER  UP. 


age ;  but  there  was  no  money  to  pay  a  carpenter  to 
put  it  up.  Now  Thomas  saw  the  way  clear  for 
erecting  the  house  after  a  while,  and  the  prospect 
fired  his  ambition.  He  was  willing  to  go  to  Michi 
gan  for  that  object  alone ;  indeed,  he  rejoiced  to  go, 
if  by  so  doing  a  frame-house  could  be  secured. 

Thomas  was  busy  in  preparing  to  leave,  and  James 
was  equally  busy  in  attending  to  lessons  that  Thomas 
gave  him  about  the  work  to  be  done  on  the  farm. 
The  ground  was  to  be  ploughed,  the  wheat  sowed, 
the  corn  and  potatoes  planted,  with  all  the  etceteras 
usually  belonging  to  the  season's  labor.  •  Thomas 
had  his  directions  to  give  concerning  all  these  things, 
that  his  little  brother  might  the  more  successfully 
perform  the  farm-work.  However,  his  time  at  home 
was  limited,  as  his  engagement  required  him  to  be 
in  Michigan  at  an  early  date;  and  soon  he  was 
gone. 

It  was  almost  like  making  another  grave  in  the 
corner  of  the  wheat-field  to  part  with  Thomas.  He 
had  been  the  main  stay  of  the  family  since  the  death 
of  his  father,  and  his  mother  had  leaned  upon  him 
as  mothers  will  upon  a  noble  son ;  and  now  to  miss 
his  face  and  voice,  and  miss  his  counsels  and  labors, 
created  a  void  in  the  home  circle  that  brought  tears 
to  the  eyes  of  all.  It  was  a  trying  hour  for  James, 
to  whom  Thomas  was  both  brotherly  and  fatherly. 
The  most  tender  and  loving  confidence  existed  be 
tween  the  two.  Thomas  was  proud  of  his  gifted 
little  brother,  and  James  had  perfect  confidence  in 
his  efficient  big  brother.  It  was  not  strange,  there-* 


102;      .  , :  £OG-£A~£JN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

fore,  that  James  felt  the  absence  of  Thomas  deeply, 
and  deplored  the  necessity  that  compelled  him  to 
leave  home.  Nevertheless,  he  went  to  work  upon 
the  farm  with  a  will.  He  knew  how  to  labor,  be* 
cause  he  had  labored  much  with  Thomas  for  four 
years,  and  was  often  called  the  "  boy-farmer ; "  but 
now  he  was  a  farmer  in  a  more  important  sense, 
and  must  rely  upon  his  own  judgment,  plans,  and 
efficiency  to  a  great  extent.  He  was  much  higher 
up  than  before  in  the  matter  of  care  and  respon 
sibility. 

Here,  as  well  as  anywhere,  we  may  describe  the 
scenery  about  the  Garfield  estate,  for  that  may  have 
had  an  important  influence  upon  the  life  and  char 
acter  of  James.  He  was  the  sort  of  boy  who  de 
lights  in  beauty  and  grandeur,  to  whom  a  river, 
mountain,  or  wild  forest  was  more  attractive  than 
they  often  are  to  older  heads.  A  person  reared  in 
the  locality  describes  the  scenery  as  follows : 

"  Orange  township  is  situated  in  the  south-eastern 
portion  of  Cuyahoga  County,  fifteen  miles  from 
Cleveland.  It  is  now,  and  always  has  been,  strictly 
a  farming  town.  There  is  no  village  within  its 
limits. 

"Its  surface  is  irregular  and  hilly,  presenting  some 
of  the  finest  rural  scenery  to  be  found  in  this  part  of 
Ohio.  On  the  north-east  flows  the  Chagrin  River, 
from  which  the  land  gradually  rises  towards  the 
south-west  for  a  distance  of  three  miles.  Looking 
east  from  this  range  of  hills,  a  grand  view  is  ob 
tained.  The  valley  of  the  Chagrin,  with  its  simple 


HIGHER  UP. 


'03 


beauty,  and  the  country  for  twenty  miles  beyond, 
are  distinctly  visible.  All  combine  to  form  a  picture 
that  is  strong,  charming,  and  impressive.  It  was  to 
a  spot  south  of  this  chain  of  hills  that  the  parents  of 
General  Garfield  came  in  1830." 

We  should  have  said  that,  at  this  time,  the  "West 
ern  land  speculation "  was  running  high.  People 
grew  wild  over  the  prospect  of  coining  money  out 
of  the  wild  lands  of  Ohio,  Michigan,  Indiana,  and 
Illinois.  Men  at  the  East  bought  thousands  of  acres 
of  land  in  the  West,  that  they  never  saw,  and  did 
not  positively  know  that  such  land  existed.  Hun 
dreds  and  thousands  of  people  sold  houses  and  land 
in  New  England  and  in  the  Middle  States,  and  re 
moved  thither,  to  make  their  fortunes.  Perhaps 
Thomas  cherished  a  secret  hope  that  somehow  he 
should  become  a  rich  man  in  the  woods  of  Michigan. 
It  is  certain  that  the  opportunity  to  labor  in  that 
State  came  to  him  through  the  "  Western  land  ma 
nia."  We  will  leave  him  there,  felling  trees  and 
clearing  land  for  the  Michigan  farmer,  while  we 
look  after  James  at  home. 

"Well,  your  farmer-boy  is  making  things  lively," 
remarked  a  neighbor,  who  called  upon  Mrs.  Gar- 
field.  "  He  is  handy  as  any  of  us  with  his  tools." 

"And  works  as  hard,  I  guess,"  responded  Mrs. 
Garfield. 

"That  is  so;  all  of  us  work  hard  enough,"  re 
joined  the  neighbor. 

"  Pioneer  life  is  beset  with  hardships,"  continued 


104  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Mrs.  Garfield ;  "though  its  poverty  is  not  so  hard 
to  be  borne  as  poverty  in  a  large  town  or  city." 

"Do  }rou  really  think  so?" 

"  Certainly  I  do." 

"  What  makes  you  think  so?  " 

"Why,  don't  you  see  that  there  are  no  rich  around 
us  to  be  compared  with?  We  are  not  continually 
being  reminded  of  our  extreme  poverty  by  the  pres 
ence  of  those  wrho  can  have  all  that  money  can  buy." 

"  You  think  there  is  some  satisfaction  in  all  being 
poor  together?"  interrupted  the  neighbor,  jocosely. 

"Yes;  that  is  about  it.  'Misery  loves  company,' 
and  I  suppose  that  is  true  of  poverty." 

"  Well,  we  are  all  poor  enough,  if  that  is  all,"  con 
tinued  the  neighbor ;  "  and  on  your  theory  we  ought 
to  be  tolerably  happy." 

"We  are,  I  think,  as  happy  as  the  human  race 
averages,  and  perhaps  a  little  more  than  that.  God 
averages  human  experience  well,  after  all  our  fault 
finding." 

"There  must  be  some  satisfaction  in  thinking  so ; 
but  I  can't  exactly  accept  that  view.  Pioneers  have 
more  than  their  full  share  of  hardships  and  trials,  in. 
my  opinion,"  replied  the  neighbor,  just  as  James 
came  in  from  the  corn-field.  Turning  to  him,  by 
way  of  cordial  salutation,  he  added, 

"What  do  you  think  about  it,  James?" 

"Think  about  what?" 

"  Whether  pioneers  have  more  hardships  than  other 
people?" 

"  I  don't   know  much  about   it,'*  answered  James. 


HIGHER  UP. 


105 


w  If  I  knew  what  hardships  other  people  have  I  could 
tell  something  about  it ;  but  I  don't." 

James  never  spoke  a  truer  word.  He  was  born 
and  reared  in  the  forest.  He  had  never  seen  even 
a  village,  much  less  a  large  town  or  city.  He 
had  seen  but  one  or  two  frame-houses  at  that  time ; 
and  these  had  just  been  erected  in  the  vicinity. 
How  could  he  understand  that  others  enjoyed  more 
than  he  did?  He  was  a  happy  boy.  He  had  his 
home,  though  it  was  a  cabin.  He  had  his  mother, 
and  brother,  and  sisters,  and  they  were  just  as  dear 
to  him  as  home  and  brothers  and  sisters  are  to  those 
who  dwell  in  palaces.  Perhaps  they  were  more  so  : 
we  incline  to  the  belief  that  they  were.  He  had  a 
mother  ;  and  if  any  mother  was  ever  worth  more  to 
a  child  than  his  was  he  did  not  know  it,  nor  could 
he  be  made  to  believe  any  such  thing.  So  he  was  a 
contented  boy.  What  other  people,  more  highly 
blest,  called  hardships,  he  accepted  as  a  matter  of 
course.  He  scarcely  knew  that  it  was  not  as  good 
as  others  enjoyed.  Why  should  he  not  be  a  rolick- 
mg,  wide-awake,  happy  boy?  Hard  work  chal 
lenged  his  best  endeavors  now  that  his  brother  was 
gone ;  but  hard  work  is  not  necessarily  hardship. 
Some  rich  men  work  more  hours  in  a  day  to  keep 
their  money,  than  the  poor  man  does  to  keep  soul 
and  body  together.  And  often  it  is  more  annoying 
labor,  straining  the  nerves,  banishing  sleep,  fretting 
the  disposition,  and  keeping  up  a  continual  fever  of 
anxiety. 

James  did  not  call  hard  work  hardship ;  he  never 


106  LOG-CABIN  TO  WhTTE  HOUSE. 

thought  of  such  a  thing.  He  was  never  happier 
than  he  was  during  that  season  of  severe  toil  after 
his  brother  left  home.  He  had  greater  responsibil 
ity,  but  responsibility  is  not  hardship.  He  felt  more 
manly  and  competent ;  and  he  was  both,  now  that 
the  care  of  the  farm  and  his  mother  rested  on  his 
shoulders.  A  close  observer  could  see  the  honest 
pride  of  a  noble  heart  cropping  out  through  his 
manly  bearing.  Call  it  hardship  to  run  the  farm  !  He 
never  dreamed  of  it ;  it  was  his  delight.  The  lan 
guage  of  singing  expressed  his  daily  experience  far 
better  than  complainings.  Under  his  homely  jacket 
nestled  a  spirit  that  had  not  learned  discontent. 
No  !  Neighbor  Mapes  put  his  question  to  the  wrong 
party,  when  he  said, 

"  What  do  you  think  about  it,  James?  " 

James  was  not  the  passenger  to  awake.  Break 
the  slumbers  of  somebody  who  is  happy  only  when 
he  is  asleep.  James  was  happiest  when  he  was 
awake,  as  mortals  everywhere  should  be.  And  he 
never  was  more  wide  awake  than  he  was  on  the 
farm  during  that  season  of  excessive  labor. 

"  Goin'  to  exchange  work  with  Mr.  Lamper,"  said 
James  one  day  to  his  mother. 

"  How  so?  "  inquired  his  mother. 

"  He  wants  an  extra  hand  once  in  a  while,  and  so 
do  I ;  and  then  I  want  his  oxen  sometimes." 

"  You  have  seen  him  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  and  have  made  the  bargain." 

"  A  good  arrangement,  I  guess,"  added  his  mother. 
"Then,  his  head  is  older  than  yours,  and  he  can 


HIGHER  UP.  107 


show  you  some  things  about  farming  that  you  don't 
know." 

"And  'Two  heads  are  better  than  one,  if  one  is  a 
sheep's  head,'  I  have  heard  you  say  a  good  many 
times,"  added  James,  in  his  lively  way. 

"If  they  are  ^pioneer  heads,  it  is  so,"  rejoined  his 
mother,  whose  opinion  of  pioneer  life  was  more  favor 
able  than  that  of  neighbor  Mapes.  "  Pioneer  life 
requires  all  the  wisdom  that  can  be  got  together  to 
make  life  in  the  woods  successful." 

This  reference  to  "  life  in  the  woods  "  was  partly 
in  a  vein  of  pleasantry  ;  for  now  the  designation  was 
scarcely  appropriate.  Nearly  fourteen  years  had 
elapsed  since  Mrs.  Garfield  moved  into  that  town 
ship,  and  great  changes  had  been  wrought  in  that 
time.  Many  settlers  had  moved  into  the  township, 
and  the  unbroken  forests  had  yielded  to  the  pioneer's 
axe,  and  well-conducted  farms  dotted  the  landscape. 
Neighbors  were  near  and  many  now,  as  compared 
with  the  distance  and  number  of  them  ten  years  be 
fore.  The  pioneer  stage  had  really  passed,  and  it 
was  not  "  life  in  the  woods  "  that  James  was  living. 
There  was  a  saw-mill  and  an  ashery  in  the  vicinity ; 
also  a  carpenter  was  added  to  the  population  of  the 
town.  All  this  brought  a  change  that  James,  young 
as  he  was,  could  but  notice. 

The  plan  of  exchanging  work  was  one  that  James 
originated,  and  it  proved  of  great  value  to  him  dur 
ing  the  season.  It  lightened  his  labor  when  "  Two 
heads  were  better  than  one,"  and  gave  him  tne  use 
of  the  oxen  when  no  other  aid  could  be  half  so  val- 


108  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

liable.  Then  Mr.  Lamper  was  glad  to  exchange 
labor  with  a  boy  who  was  equal  to  a  man  in  his 
efficiency.  James  could  turn  his  hand  to  any  sort 
of  work  upon  the  farm,  and  had  physical  strength  to 
endure  almost  any  strain.  His  honest  pride  of  char 
acter  assisted  him,  too,  more  than  ever  in  his  work, 
as  any  sharp  observer  could  see. 

We  cannot  dwell  upon  the  labors  of  that  eventful 
season,  except  to  add,  that  the  farm  did  for  James 
what  a  teacher  did  for  some  other  boys.  The 
celebrated  engineer,  and  inventor  of  the  locomotive 
engine,  George  Stephenson,  said  that  he  studied 
mechanics  with  his.  engine  instead  of  a  professor. 
Indeed,  the  engine  was  his  professor,  and  taught 
him  daily  the  most  important  lessons.  He  was 
eighteen  years  of  age,  and  was  running  the  engine 
in  a  colliery.  On  Saturday  afternoons,  when  the 
workmen  were  released  from  labor,  and  were  spend 
ing  their  time  in  rum-shops,  or  attending  dog-lights, 
George  took  his  engine  to  pieces,  and  cleaned  and 
studied  it.  He  could  neither  read  nor  write,  but  he 
could  understand  and  appropriate  the  silent  lessons 
of  his  engine ;  and  these  made  him  the  renowned 
inventor  of  the  locomotive.  Well  might  he  call  the 
engine  his  teacher. 

James  might  have  called  the  farm  his  teacher.  It 
taught  him  many  excellent  lessons.  He  extracted 
the  most  valuable  knowledge  from  its  soil.  He 
evoked  inspiring  thoughts  from  its  labor.  His  man 
hood  developed  under  its  rigid  discipline.  His  mind 
enlarged  its  mental  grasp.  The  season  spent  in  the 


HIGHER  UP.  iog 


log  school-house  could  not  have  pushed  him  higher 
up  than  did  his  experience  on  the  farm.  It  was 
positive  proof  that  work  is  discipline  as  much  as 
study,  and  that  it  can  do  for  boys,  often,  more  than 
study  to  qualify  them  for  the  stern  duties  of  life. 
James  was  more  of  a  man  at  the  close  of  that  sea 
son  than  he  was  at  the  beginning  of  it. 

He  had  little  time  to  read  during  those  months ; 
and  yet  he  never  valued  reading  more.  He  was 
never  more  hungry  for  knowledge  than  he  was  dur 
ing  that  period  of  constant  labor.  He  thought 
much  of  going  to  school ;  and  often  the  thought 
would  force  itself  upon  his  mind,  how  can  1  get  an 
education?  Not  that  he  formed  any  definite  plan 
concerning  it,  or  even  considered  that  such  a  thing 
was  possible ;  but  the  vague  thought  would  some 
times  arise.  And  then  his  mother  frequently  dropped 
remarks  which  showed  the  strong  desire  of  her 
heart,  that  James  might,  at  some  future  time,  she 
knew  not  how  or  when,  become  a  scholar.  That 
such  a  boy  should  spend  his  life  in  tilling  the  earth 
appeared  to  her  like  wasting  pearls. 

"James,  I  hope  that  you  will  not  always  have  to 
work  on  a  farm."  How  often  she  remarked  thus. 

"  What  would  you  do  if  I  shouldn't?  "  was  James' 
thoughtful  reply. 

"  I  should  like  to,  if  it  is  best." 

"I  hardly  know.  'It  is  not  in  man  that  walk- 
eth  to  direct  his  steps,'  and  I  am  glad  of  it.  There 
is  my  hope,  that  some  day  you  can  get  an  educa 
tion." 


HO  LOG-CABIN    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  I  know  it  will  be  best,  if  you  can  do  it.  You 
can  never  know  too  much." 

"I  guess  that  is  so,"  replied  James,  half  humor 
ously.  "  I  couldn't  ever  know  too  much  to  work  on 
a  farm.  There  is  more  to  learn  about  it  than  I  could 
learn  in  many  years." 

"  That  is  true,  no  doubt ;  but  I  have  a  strong  de 
sire  that  you  should  become  a  scholar ;  and  some 
times  the  desire  is  so  strong  that  I  feel  as  if  I  could 
not  be  denied." 

"  I  don't  feel  so." 

"  Wouldn't  you  like  to  study,  and  become  a 
scholar?" 

"Why,  yes,  I  should  like  nothing  better;  but 
how  can  I  do  it?" 

"I  don't  know,  and  that  is  what  troubles  me, 
though  I  ought  not  to  be  troubled.  I  know  that  God 
will  open  the  way,  if  it  is  best,  and  I  ought  to  leave 
it  there ;  but  somehow  I  can't  help  having  anxiety 
about  it." 

"Well,  it  can't  be  at  present,"  added  James,  as  if 
perfectly  satisfied  with  his  situation. 

Thus  James  was  led  on,  and  his  mother,  too,  not 
knowing  whither  Providence  was  guiding  them. 
James  was  going  up  higher  all  the  while,  although 
it  scarcely  seemed  so  to  his  doting  mother.  The 
Lord  was  laying  a  deeper  foundation  than  could 
have  been  laid  if  she  had  had  her  own  way.  "Man 
deviseth  his  own  way,  but  the  Lord  directeth  his 
steps." 


VIII. 


BOY   CARPENTER. 

IOM  is  coming!"  was  the  shout  Mrs.  Gar- 
field  heard  as  she  caught  sight  of  James 
bounding  across  the  garden.  w  Tom  is 
coming  !  "  louder  yet.  One  would  have 
thought  the  boy  had  suddenly  lost  his  reason,  judg 
ing  by  his  antics. 

Sure  enough  !  Looking  from  the  cabin  door  she 
saw  Thomas  approaching,  and  James  had  already 
reached  him  in,  his  pleasurable  excitement.  If  James 
was  glad  to  get  hold  of  Thomas'  hand,  Thomas  was 
equally  rejoiced  to  get  hold  of  James.  The  greet 
ing  was  mutual  and  hearty.  The  big  brother  and 
little  brother  made  for  the  house,  hand  in  hand,  their 
tongues  running  glibly  all  the  while. 

"Are  we  goin'  to  have  a  frame-house  now?  "  asked 
James,  almost  the  first  thing. 

"  Yes,  we'll  have  a  frame-house  now,  and  let  the 
hens  keep  house  in  the  cabin,"  replied  Thomas. 

"  It's  just  about  good  enough  for  them,"  remarked 
James  in  response.  "It  will  make  a  good  hen 
house." 

in 


112  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Rather  better  accommodations  than  they  have 
had,"  Thomas  added;  "and  will  compare  well  with 
our  quarters  when  the  house  is  done." 

By  this  time  mother  and  son  stood  face  to  face, 
James  shouting : 

"  Coin'  to  have  the  frame-house  now,  mother  !  " 

Mrs.  Garfield  found  that  she  was  a  good  deal  like 
James,  and  when  she  saw  that  her  Thomas  was  cer 
tainly  coming,  she  forgot  everything  else,  and  has 
tened  to  meet  him,  —  not  as  wildly  as  James,  but 
very  much  as  all  fond  mothers  will  do  when  they 
have  not  seen  their  good  sons  for  seven  months. 
She  went  across  the  house-lot  at  double-quick,  and 
soon  had  hold  of  the  big  boy  as  firmly  as  he  had 
hold  of  her.  It  was  a  glad  meeting.  Mothers  and 
sons  who  dwell  in  palaces  scarcely  know  what  a 
luxury  it  was.  Why,  it  more  than  paid  for  the  long 
separation.  The  meeting  paid  principal  and  interest 
in  full.  The  family  were  united  again,  —  girls,  boys, 
and  mother,  —  one  girl  rather  big  now,  twenty-three 
years  old ;  and  Thomas  almost  twenty-two,  just 
the  age  of  his  father  when  the  latter  was  married. 
Happy  family  I 

They  were  hardly  seated  in  the  cabin,  when 
Thomas  flung  a  handful  of  gold  into  his  mother's 
lap,  saying: 

"  Now  you  can  have  a  frame-house ;  "  and  the 
noble  young  man  seemed  to  be  perfectly  satisfied, 
now  that  he  was  able  to  give  his  mother  a  better 
home.  "We'll  go  about  it  at  once." 

"My  1  what  a  lot ! "  was  James'  exclamation  when 


BOY  CARPENTER. 


he  saw  the  shining  gold  ;  and  he  proceeded  to  ex 
amine  the  treasure  in  his  mother's  lap. 

"  How  much  is  there,  Tom?  "  he  asked. 

"  Seventy-five  dollars,  just." 

"And  you  earned  it  all?  " 

"Every  cent  of  it." 

James  read  aloud  the  inscriptions  on  the  new, 
bright  coin,  while  he  handled  it  in  amazement  that 
his  own  brother  could  make  such  a  "pile."  Things 
had  not  been  conducted  on  a  gold  basis  in  that 
cabin,  so  that  it  was  a  new  spectacle  that  suddenly 
broke  upon  James'  delighted  vision.  He  had  not 
seen  gold  coin  before,  nor  had  he  dreamed  that 
such  an  article  could  come  out  of  the  Michigan 
woods.  It  is  not  strange,  therefore,  that  the  back 
woods  boy  was  considerably  elated  over  the  sight. 
What  a  mint  is  to  him  now,  that  was  seventy-five 
dollars  in  gold  to  him  then. 

"Why  don't  you  say  something,  mother?"  ex 
claimed  James,  no  doubt  expecting  that  his  mother 
would  be  as  gushing  as  himself  over  the  gold.  The 
fact  was,  she  could  not  have  said  anything  if  she 
had  tried.  What  mother  could,  in  the  circum 
stances?  That  great  boy,  as  old  as  his  father  was 
when  she  became  his  bride,  coming  home  with  such 
proof  of  his  filial  love  !  Thinking  of  his  mother 
more  than  he  did  of  himself!  Happy  only  in  help 
ing  her  !  Who  wonders  that  she  sat  mute  as  a 
marble  statue?  There  was  no  language  for  such  an 
occasion.  All  the  Noah  Websters  in  the  world  could 
not  provide  words  for  such  a  moment.  A  mother's 

a 


114 


LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE, 


heart,  at  such  a  time,  defies  expression.  At  least  it 
was  so  with  mother  Garfield's  heart.  It  could  have 
taken  that  strapping  son  to  itself,  and  folded  him 
like  a  baby  again,  and  covered  him  over  with  kisses, 
which  would  have  been  only  a  figure  of  speech,  but 
language  was  out  of  the  question.  James  saw  the 
point  as  soon  as  her  tears  dropped  upon  the  gold 
coin.  He  could  not  exactly  understand  it,  though, 
for  he  felt  like  hurrahing  instead  of  crying,  and  he 
knew  that  his  mother  was  glad  that  she  could  have 
a  frame-house,  for  he  had  often  heard  her  express  a 
wish  of  that  kind.  So  he  could  not  quite  under 
stand  it.  Readers !  it  was  because  he  was  like  all 
the  rest  of  the  boys  and  girls  —  they  do  not  under 
stand  the  mystery  of  a  mother's  love. 

The  excitement  of  the  hour  passed,  however,  and 
the  equilibrium  of  feeling  and  daily  duties  was  re 
stored. 

"I'm  off  again,  mother,  as  soon  as  I  get  you  into 
the  new  house,"  said  Thomas.  "There's  plenty  of 
work  in  Michigan,  and  I  must  be  doing  it." 

"Well,  you  must  manage  it  to  suit  yourself.  I 
suppose  that  Mr.  Treat  can  be  had  any  time  to  put 
the  house  up."  Mr.  Treat  was  the  carpenter. 

"  I  will  find  out.  I  can  work  with  him,  and  we'll 
make  a  quick  job  of  it." 

"I'll  work,  too,"  said  James.  "  I  can  carry  boards, 
drive  nails,  and  do  other  things." 

"You  can  draw  the  sand,  too,  Jimmy,"  replied 
Thomas. 

w  Sand  I     What  do  you  do  with  sand?  "  exclaimed 


BOY  CARPENTER.  115 

James,  forgetting  that  mortar  was  necessary.  It 
was  excusable,  however,  since  he  was  familiar  only 
with  mud,  that  made  the  log-house  tight. 

"To  make  mortar  with,  of  course ;  we  must  have 
mortar  for  plastering,"  Thomas  answered.  "  I  can 
get  lime,  brick,  nails,  and  windows  at  Cleveland." 

"And  you'll  take  me  along  with  you,  I  s'pose," 
suggested  James. 

"  Yes  ;  I  can  chuck  you  in  most  anywhere.  Per 
haps  I  shall  need  your  help." 

James  had  not  been  to  Cleveland  at  that  time.  It 
was  but  a  small  place,  of  about  a  thousand  inhab 
itants,  though  growing  rapidly. 

"  How  long  will  you  be  gone  to  Cleveland  ? " 
inquired  James. 

"  One  day  only ;  can't  spare  any  more  time.  A 
long  day,  perhaps." 

"When  shall  you  go?" 

"Just  as  soon  as  I  have  engaged  Mr.  Treat." 

Mr.  Treat  was  seen  and  engaged  at  once,  and 
Thomas  and  James  made  the  trip  to  Cleveland  for 
windows,  nails,  etc.  Bricks  were  obtained  subse 
quently,  without  going  to  Cleveland. 

A  few  days  only  elapsed  before  the  carpenter  and 
Thomas  were  at  work  on  the  new  house.  James, 
too,  was  not  a  mere  spectator.  He  was  far  more 
interested  in  the  erection  of  the  house  than  he  would 
have  been  in  a  circus.  It  was  an  era  in  his  life. 
All  the  spare  moments  he  could  snatch  from  the 
farm-work  and  care  of  the  stock  he  devoted  to  the 


Il6  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

new  house.  He  had  drawn  the  sand  before  the 
carpenter  began  to  frame  the  building. 

"  Here,  Jimmy,  I  see  you  want  to  help,"  said  Mr. 
Treat.  "Just  take  this  chisel  and  mallet,  and  put 
this  mortise  through  as  you  have  seen  me  do  the 
others.  I  guess  you  can  do  it." 

"Yes,  I  can  do  that,"  James  answered,  elated  with 
the  idea  of  being  able  to  render  assistance ;  and 
with  mallet  and  chisel  the  mortise  was  hurried 
through. 

"  Give  us  another,"  exclaimed  James,  proud  of  his 
achievement. 

"  What ! "  responded  Mr.  Treat,  "  got  that  done 
so  quick?  " 

"Yes,  all  done  ;  look  at  it,"  answered  James. 

"And  well  done,  too,"  said  Mr.  Treat,  examining 
the  mortise.  "  Pretty  good  for  a  boy." 

"Can  I  do  another?"  continued  James. 

"Yes,  a  dozen  if  you  want  to  ;  "  and  the  carpen 
ter  started  him  on  another  mortise,  and  after  that 
another,  and  another,  until  he  completed  the  sixth. 

"  You  must  try  your  hand  at  planing  now,"  said 
Mr.  Treat.  "  A  small  boy  to  shove  a  plane,  but  I 
guess  you  can  do  it.  Here  (arranging  a  board  on 
his  bench),  try  this,  and  see  how  you  make  it." 

At  that  time  planing  machines  were  unknown, 
at  least  in  that  part  of  the  country ;  all  the  planing 
was  done  by  hand.  In  the  newly-settled  townships, 
like  Orange,  also,  less  planing  was  done;  more 
rough  boards  were  used.  The  frame-houses  were 
of  rude  construction,  having  no  particular  style 


BOY  CARPENTER. 


or  comeliness,  —  just  a  comfortable  place  to  live  in, 
more  comfortable  and  pleasant  than  log-cabins. 
Many  of  them  could  boast  only  of  a  single  room 
below,  —  parlor,  sitting-room,  kitchen,  and  wash 
room,  all  in  one,  —  the  second  story  remaining  un 
finished,  and  used  for  lodging,  being  divided  into 
apartments  by  curtains.  It  was  very  little  labor  and 
small  expense  to  erect  such  a  dwelling.  Others 
were  somewhat  more  elaborate,  having  two,  and 
even  three  rooms  below,  with  sleeping-rooms  finished 
above.  The  Garfield  house  contained  three  rooms 
below,  and  two  above,  unfinished.  Hence,  seventy- 
five  dollars  was  ample  to  buy  nails,  bricks,  lime, 
and  other  necessary  articles,'  and  to  pay  the  car 
penter  in  addition. 

James  went  on  with  the  planing  very  readily,  for 
he  had  watched  both  Mr.  Treat  and  Thomas  in  this 
part  of  the  work  until  he  comprehended  the  "  nack," 
as  the  carpenter  called  it.  As  we  have  already 
said,  his  sharp  observation  was  equal  to  a  teacher, 
and  it  made  him  master  of  many  things  that  he 
never  could  have  known  without  this  faculty.  Cap 
tain  Samuel  Brown,  a  bridge-builder,  lived  on  the 
banks  of  the  Tweed,  across  which  he  desired  to 
build  a  bridge.  While  he  was  studying  the  subject, 
he  chanced  to  walk  in  his  garden  early  one  fine 
morning,  when  his  attention  was  arrested  by  a  spi- 
der's-web  across  his  path.  A  careful  examination 
of  the  web  suggested  to  him  the  idea  of  a  suspen 
sion-bridge,  constructed  by  the  use  of  iron  ropes  or 
chains,  as  the  spider  had  built  his  light  bridge.  No 


LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

indifferent  gazer  would  take  the  hint  of  a  suspension- 
bridge  from  the  web  of  a  spider,  but  sharp,  discrimi 
nating  observation  took  the  hint. 

James'  keen  observation  enabled  him  to  build 
many  suspension-bridges  over  impassable  places  in 
his  boyhood  and  youth,  and,  in  comparison  with 
some  of  them,  his  success  with  carpenter's  tools  is 
scarcely  worth  mentioning. 

"  I  like  this,"  said  James,  as  he  turned  over  the 
well-planed  board  to  the  carpenter,  "its  fun  !  " 

"  You  will  not  find  much  fun  in  it  when  you  have 
kept  at  it  all  day,"  replied  the  carpenter.  "  It  takes 
elbow-grease  to  do  this  work  well." 

"Elbow-grease  !"  repeated  James  ;  "what's  elbow- 
grease?" 

"  It  is  sweat,  that  is  pouring  out  of  you  now, 
Jimmy,"  the  carpenter  replied.  "Can't  do  much  at 
planing  without  putting  sweat  into  it." 

"Sweat  alone  won't  run  a  plane,"  rejoined  James, 
intimating  to  the  carpenter  that  brains  wrere  needed 
as  much  as  work. 

"  That  is  so,"  replied  Mr.  Treat ;  "but  you  under 
stand  what  I  mean.  The  most  skilful  workman  will 
find-  bard  labor  in  this  business ;  and  to  do  it  well, 
he  must  be  willing  to  sweat." 

"  If  sweat  is  proof  of  doing  it  well,  then  the  board 
is  well-planed,  Mr.  Treat,  for  I  sweat  enough," 
James  added. 

"  You  have  done  it  well ;  I  couldn't  have  done  it 
better  myself,"  replied  Mr.  Treat.  "You  was  born 
to  be  a  carpenter,  I  guess." 


CARPENTER. 


119 


ff  I'd  like  to  be  one,"  interrupted  James,  w  if  I  could 
be  a  good  one." 

"Well,  you  would  make  a  good  one,  my  boy, 
judging  from  the  work  you  have  done.  Perhaps 
you  will  be  a  boss-carpenter  before  you  are  twenty- 
one.  Who  knows?" 

"  I  couldn't  be  that  without  a  chance,"  remarked 
James,  intimating  that  a  chance  was  scarcely  possi 
ble  for  a  boy  in  his  circumstances. 

"  Of  course  not ;  but  where  there's  a  will  there's  a 
way." 

"  That's  what  mother  says." 

"  And  that  is  what  overcomes  difficulties,"  con 
tinued  Mr.  Treat.  "But  there  are  more  boards 
(pointing  to  a  pile  on  the  ground)  if  you  want  to  do 
more  of  this  sort  of  work." 

Another  board  was  laid  on  the  bench,  and  James 
continued  to  drive  the  plane  for  an  hour  and  more. 
He  was  general  errand-boy  when  he  was  about  the 
building,  so  that  he  could  not  use  plane  or  chisel 
long,  without  interruption.  It  was,  "Go  here,"  and 
"gc  there;"  "Get  this,"  and  "get  that;"  to  all  of 
which  demands  he  cheerfully  responded. 

The  raising  of  the  house  was  a  grand  affair  to 
James.  It  was  the  first  house-raising  he  ever  at 
tended,  and  it  was  a  great  novelty.  He  was  sent  to 
notify  the  neighbors  of  the  event  on  a  given  day, 
and  to  solicit  their  assistance.  The  neighbors  were 
thoroughly  glad  that  Mrs.  Garfield  was  going  to 
have  a  new  house,  and  many  were  their  praises  of 
the  son  who  thus  provided  for  his  worthy  mother. 


120  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

They  were  promptly  on  hand  at  the  time,  and  the 
frame  went  up  without  mistake  or  accident.  And  now 
came  another  treat  for  James.  He  had  had  his  eye 
upon  a  keg  of  nails  for  some  days,  anticipating  me 
highest  kind  of  pleasure  from  driving  them.  It  was 
sport  for  him  to  drive  nails,  as  it  is  for  boys  gener 
ally,  and  he  expected  to  have  his  fill  of  the  fun. 

"  Now,  Jimmy,  you  can  try  your  hand  at  driving 
nails,"  said  Mr.  Treat,  addressing  the  boy-carpenter. 
"That  is  pretty  work,  and  won't  require  quite  so 
much  elbow-grease." 

"  I  have  a  particular  liking  for  driving  nails,"  re 
plied  James  ;  "where  shall  I  begin?" 

"  Right  here,  where  I  have  put  in  these  two.  Lay 
them  just  as  I  have  laid  these,  and  it  will  be  right. 
See  if  you  can  '  hit  the  nail  on  the  head ; '  some 
boys  never  can  do  it,  and  so  they  grow  up  to  be 
men,  and  live  and  die,  without  ever  *  hitting  the  nail 
on  the  head.' "  Mr.  Treat  cast  a  knowing  look  at 
James  as  he  said  it,  and  a  smile  played  over  his 
face,  as  if  curious  to  see  how  his  figurative  expres 
sion  was  taken. 

"  I  can  hit  that  son.  of  a  nail  on  the  head,  if  I  can't 
any  other,"  answered  James,  with  a  smile,  under 
standing  the  drift  of  his  figure  of  speech.  And 
hastily  he  let  drive  his  hammer  at  a  nail,  and  missed 
it  the  first  time,  much  to  his  chagrin. 

"  Missed  the  first  blow  !  "  exclaimed  the  carpen 
ter,  with  a  shout  of  laughter.  "  You  didn't  do  that 
as  well  as  you  did  the  planing  and  mortising.  How 
is  that?" 


BOY  CARPENTER.  121 

"  Only  a  blunder,"  James  replied,  with  evident 
mortification. 

"Well,  see  if  you  can  strike  again  without  blun 
dering,"  responded  Mr.  Treat,  laughing.  w  There's 
a  r  knack '  in  driving  nails  as  well  as  in  planing 
boards.  Just  get  the  '  knack '  of  the  thing,  and  it 
will  go." 

"  Here  goes  the  '  knack,'  then,"  exclaimed  James, 
as  his  hammer  struck  the  nail  squarely  on  the  head. 
w  The  f  knack  '  it  is,  every  time  !  Nails  are  made  to 
drive,  and  I  will  drive  them."  And  his  hammer 
flew  with  unerring  aim,  as  nail  after  nail  was  driven 
in,  with  a  will  that  signified  determination  and  force 
of  character.  Missing  the  first  blow  just  set  him  on 
his  taps,  resolved  that  a  steady  aim  and  square  hit 
should  attend  every  blow  that  followed.  He  learned 
the  lesson  of  carefulness  and  brave  endeavor  from  his 
failure,  so  that  he  became  more  expert  in  the  use  of 
the  hammer  than  he  would  have  been  otherwise. 
Such  is  the  case  with  all  boys  who  win  ;  a  failure 
arouses  their  latent  skill  and  energy,  and  they  bid 
defiance  to  failures  thereafter.  In  his  youth,  Curran, 
who  became  the  famous  Irish  orator,  broke  down  on 
his  first  attempt  to  speak  in  a  debating  society.  He 
was  a  stammerer,  and  when  he  rose  in  his  place 
his  stuttering  speech  was  worse  than  ever.  He 
floundered  at  first,  stammered  out  something  no 
body  could  understand,  and  then  stood  speechless. 
His  companions  roared  with  laughter.  One  said,  in 
a  low  voice,  "  Orator  Mum  I  "  Another  peal  of 


I22  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

laughter  followed  this  new  title ;  and  it  aroused  the 
invincible  spirit  of  the  boy. 

"You  may  laugh  now,"  he  shouted,  finally,  "but 
I  will  conquer  this  stammering  tongue,  and  some  day 
you  will  listen  and  commend."  All  of  which  came 
to  pass  exactly  as  prophesied.  The  gist  of  the  mat 
ter  was  in  him,  and  the  mortifying  failure  served  to 
bring  it  out. 

"Nothing  like  being  plucky,"  remarked  Mr.  Treat, 
when  he  witnessed  James'  success  in  diiving  nails. 
"  Pluck  wins  when  luck  loses." 

"  Mother  says  there  is  no  such  thing  as  luck"  re 
sponded  James. 

"  Your  mother  is  about  right,  according  to  my  no 
tion,"  answered  Mr.  Treat.  "Boys  that  depend  on 
luck  for  a  livelihood  go  pretty  hungry  sometimes. 
I'd  rather  a  boy  of  mine  would  have  a  single  ounce 
of  pluck  than  a  whole  pound  of  luck.  Luck  is  like 
an  old  United  States  bank  bill,  of  very  uncertain 
value ;  but  pluck  is  good  as  gold  all  the  time." 

"Well,"  said  James,  jocosely,  "you  must  admit 
that  my  first  blow  was  a  very  unlucky  one." 

"  Unlucky  !  the  deuce  it  was  !  "  exclaimed  Mr. 
Treat.  "It  was  just  what  you  said  it  was,  fa 
blunder,'  and  a  blunder  is  neither  lucky  nor  un 
lucky.  But  you  have  made  amends,  so  go  ahead 
with  you  nailing." 

And  James  did  go  ahead,  spending  every  moment 
possible  in  labor  upon  the  new  house,  and  acquiring 
facility  in  the  use  of  tools  that  served  him  a  good 
turn  many  years  thereafter.  To  the  last  day's  la- 


BO  Y  CARPENTER. 


123 


bor  upon  the  house  James  rendered  all  the  assistance 
he  could,  happy  only  in  the  thought  that  he  could 
make  himself  useful.  Nor  was  this  the  best  part  of 
the  discipline.  James  received  a  kind  of  education 
when  the  house  was  building  that  has  proved  of 
great  advantage  to  him  through  life.  Before  the 
house  was  completed,  he  conceived  the  idea  of  mak 
ing  the  carpenter's  trade  a  source  of  profit.  It  was 
on  his  mind  day  after  day,  the  last  thing  he 
thought  of  before  falling  asleep  at  night,  and  the 
first  thing  when  he  awoke  in  the  morning.  He  di 
vulged  his  purpose  to  no  one,  but  pondered  it  for 
several  months  in  his  own  heart.  The  family  had 
removed  into  the  new  house,  and  Thomas  had  re 
turned  to  Michigan,  and  James  was  manager  of  the 
farm-work. 

"  Mother,"  he  said  one  day,  when  he  could  not 
keep  his  purpose  a  secret  any  longer,  "I  have  a 
plan  to  earn  some  money." 

"What  is  it?" 

"  To  work  at  the  carpenter's  trade. " 

"  I'm  afraid  that  plan  won't  work." 

"Why?" 

"  You  have  enough  to  do  on  the  farm  now,  and 
you  can't  do  both." 

"  I  only  meant  to  work  at  it  when  I  had  no  work 
on  the  farm  to  do,  —  a  job  now  and  then." 

"It  will  be  difficult  to  find  such  jobs." 

"  Perhaps  it  will,  but  I  can  try,  and  you  believe 
in  trying"''  James  emphasized  the  words  try  and 
trying,  because  his  mother  often  made  the  remark 
to  her  children,  "There  is  nothing  like  trying." 


124  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"Yes,  I  believe  in  trying  always,  and  you  may 
try  as  hard  as  you  please  to  find  a  job." 

"  I'm  going  to  Mr.  Treat ;  perhaps  he  may  have 
a  job  at  planing  or  something  of  the  kind.  I  want 
to  earn  some  money  for  you  as  well  as  Thomas.  I 
will  go  to  Michigan  when  I  am  old  as  he  is." 

"One  son  in  Michigan  is  enough,  I  think.  Be 
sides,  I  hope  the  day  will  come  when  you  can  be 
more  useful  than  you  can  be  in  chopping  wood  or 
planing  boards." 

"  I  don't  know  what  there  is  better  than  such  work, 
to  help  you." 

"  There  is  somebody  else  in  the  world  to  help  be 
sides  me,"  replied  his  mother,  earnestly ;  "  and  I 
don't  want  you  to  feel  that  you  are  always  to  be 
bound  to  this  little  township  and  farm." 

"  I  don't  expect  to  be  bound  to  it  always,"  retorted 
fames  ;  "  but  I  am  bound  to  get  a  job  at  carpenterhV 
this  very  day,  if  I  can ;  and  I  am  going  over  to  see 
Mr.  Treat." 

Within  less  than  an  hour  James  entered  the  car 
penter-shop. 

"Halloo,  Jimmy !  that  you?  How's  your  moth 
er?"  exclaimed  Mr.  Treat,  in  a  very  jolly  way,  as 
he  was  wont  to  do. 

"She  is  well." 

"Not  much  farming  to  do  just  now,  I  suppose?" 
continued  Mr.  T.,  inquiringly. 

"No,  not  very  much ;  and  I  came  over  to  see  you 
about  some  work." 


SOY  CARPENTER. 


"Ah,  that's  what  brought  you  here  !  I  see  now; 
what  sort  of  work  do  you  want  to  do?  " 

"Your  kind  of  work,  of  course,  carpenterin'." 

"All  right,  Jimmy  !  .  Glad  to  see  there  are  no  lazy 
bones  in  you.  I  hate  lazy  boys  above  all  things, 
and  I  know  that  you  don't  belong  to  that  class." 

"  I  hope  not,"  answered  James  ;  "  I  thought  I 
might  as  well  be  earning  a  little  something  for 
mother,  now  Tom's  gone,  and  so  I  came  to  see  if 
you  could  give  me  a  job." 

"  That's  noble,  to  help  your  mother.  Boys  who 
stick  to  their  mothers  don't  often  make  a  failure, 
especially  boys  with  such  a  mother  as  you  have. 
You  can't  think  too  much  of  your  mother.  *  Them's 
the  boys  I  like  to  give  a  job  to." 

"Can  you  give  me  a  job?"  James  interrupted, 
evidently  thinking  that  Mr.  Treat  was  making  a 
pretty  long  story  over  the  affair. 

"Yes,  my  boy,  I  can,  and  I  am  right  glad  to  do 
it,  too.  There  is  a  pile  of  boards  that  I  want 
planed,  and  I  know  that  you  can  plane  them  well. 
I  haven't  forgot  how  you  worked  on  the  house." 

"  How  much  will  you  pay  me  ?  " 

"  One  cent  a  board  ;  and  that  will  be  pretty  good 
pay." 

"When  do  you  want  them  done?" 

"Just  as  soon  as  you  can  ;  the  quicker  the  better." 

"  I  will  come  to-morrow  and  begin." 

"  All  right,  sonny  ;  begin  to-morrow,  and  end 
when  you  please." 

"  You  wouldn't  like  to  have  me  keep  the  job  on 


126  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

hand  a  month,  would  you? "replied  James,  pleas 
antly,  thinking  about  the  words,  "  end  as  you 
please." 

"  You  won't  do  that,  Jimmy.  I  know  that  you 
will  put  it  through  just  as  soon  as  possible,  and  that 
will  suit.  When  I  said  'end  it  as  you  please,'  I 
knew  that  you  would  please  to  end  it  as  soon  as  you 
could.  Your  money  is  ready  as  soon  as  the  job  is 
done." 

"  I'll  be  on  hand  to-morrow,  just  as  soon  as  I've 
done  my  chores,"  remarked  James,  and  left. 

It  was  a  proud  moment  for  James,  and  exultation 
beamed  in  his  eye  when  he  reached  home,  and  re 
ported  his  good  fortune  to  his  mother. 

w  It  will  be  the  first  money  I  ever  earned,"  said 
James. 

"And  you  are  pretty  young  to  earn  it,"  replied 
his  mother.  "  I'm  glad  you  have  the  job.  I  hardly 
thought  you  would  find  one." 

w  Trying  brought  it,"  responded  James,  with  a 
very  suggestive  expression  on  his  face. 

"I  guess  Mr.  Treat  made  the  job  on  purpose  for 
you  ;  he  is  a  great  friend  of  yours,"  added  Mrs.  Gar- 
field.  "  I  know  he  would  be  glad  to  help  you  to  all 
the  jobs  possible.  When  are  you  goin'  to  begin  it?  " 

"To-morrow,  early  as  I  can.*' 

"Well,  be  careful  and  not  overwork.  Two  hours 
a  day  is  as  much  as  you  ought  to  work  at  plan 
ing  ;  three  hours  at  most." 

"  I  shall  work  six  hours  to-morrow,  certainly," 
replied  James.  "  I  should  laugh  to  see  myself  work 


BOY  CARPENTER.  127 

two  hours,  and  then  cry  '  baby/  and  come  home ; 
and  I  guess  Mr.  Treat  would  laugh,  too." 

w  I  think  Mr.  Treat  will  agree  with  me  exactly, 
that  boys  must  not  overwork ;  and  you  are  so  am 
bitious,  James,  that  you  will  overwork  before  you 
know  it,  unless  somebody  warns  you."  Mrs.  Gar- 
field  expressed  just  the  opinion  that  every  thoughtful 
parent  would  express.  James  had  more  energy  and 
ambition  than  he  had  discretion,  so  that  he  was 
blind  to  the  value  of  his  mother's  counsel. 

w  If  you  see  me  coming  home  to-morrow  in  two 
hours,  or  three,  you  may  know  that  I've  lost  an  arm 
or  finished  the  job,"  remarked  James,  very  suggest 
ively.  And  here  the  conversation  closed. 

James  went  to  his  job  the  next  day  with  more  de 
termination  than  ever,  much  as  he  had  shown  of  this 
admirable  quality  before.  If  his  mother  looked  into 
his  eye,  or  observed  his  compressed  lips,  as  he  went 
out  of  the  door,  she  must  have  been  satisfied  that 
three  hours  planing  would  not  satisfy  his  ambi 
tious  desires  on  that  day,  Mr.  Treat  gave  him  cor 
dial  words  of  welcome,  in  his  jovial  way,  assuring 
him  that  the  "Early  bird  catches  the  worm,"  at  the 
same  time  handing  him  a  jack-plane.  James  stripped 
off  his  jacket  and  vest,  leaving  only  his  shirt  and 
jean  trousers  to  encumber  him.  He  was  bare-footed, 
of  course,  as  the  luxury  of  shoesv  could  not  be  af 
forded,  except  in  the  winter.  He  was  scarcely  tall 
enough  to  work  handily  at  the  bench,  but  he  seemed 
to  straighten  himself  up  one  or  two  inches'  taller  than 
usual  for  the  occasion.  He  went  to  work  like  a 


128  LOG-CABIN   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

man.  Every  board  was  twelve  feet  long ;  and  by 
the  time  he  had  planed  ten  of  them  his  mind  was 
fully  made  up  to  what  nobody  knew  except  himself. 
They  found  out,  however,  at  night.  All  through 
the  day  the  plane  was  shoved  rapidly,  and  great 
beads  of  sweat  stood  upon  the  boy's  brow,  but  no 
tired  look  invested  his  countenance  for  a  moment. 
Before  the  sun  went  down  he  exclaimed,  laying 
aside  the  plane, 

"  One  hundred  boards,  Mr.  Treat,  done !  count 
them  and  see." 

"  Not  a  hundred,  my  boy,  you  don't  mean  that,  do 
you  ?  " 

"  Count  them,  and  see  ;  a  hundred  boards  accord 
ing  to  my  count." 

"  A  great  day's  work,  if  that  is  the  case,"  said 
Mr.  Treat,  as  he  proceeded  to  count  the  boards. 

"  One  hundred  it  is,  surely,"  remarked  Mr.  Treat, 
completing  the  count.  "Too  much  for  a  boy  of  your 
age  and  size  to  do  in  one  day.  I  wouldn't  advise 
you  to  do  more  than  half  that  another  day." 

"I'm  not  much  tired,"  said  James. 

"  That  is  not  the  thing,  my  boy ;  thirty  years  from 
now  you  may  feel  tired  from  this  day's  labor  more 
than  you  do  now." 

"  If  it  takes  as  long  as  that  to  get  tired,  then  the 
tired  part  is  far  off,"  responded  James,  not  appreci 
ating  the  wise  remark  of  his  employer. 

"Well,  now  comes  the  best  part  of  your  day's 
work,  the  pay,"  remarked  Mr.  Treat.  tf  Let  us  see, 
one  hundred  boards  takes  one  hundred  cents  to  pa> 


SOY  CARPENTER. 


129 


for  them,  that  is  just  one  dollar!  A  great  day's 
work  for  a  boy-carpenter  !  Now,  you  count,  and  I'll 
count."  And  he  proceeded  to  count  out  one  hundred 
cents,  making  quite  a  little  pile  of  coin  when  the 
dollar,  all  in  cents,  was  ready  for  James'  pocket. 

Reader.  We  might  as  well  stop  here  as  to  pro 
ceed  further  with  the  history  of  that  day's  labor. 
It  would  be  quite  impossible  to  describe  James'  feel 
ings  to  you,  as  he  pocketed  the  one  hundred  cents 
and  started  for  home.  That  old  jacket  never  cov 
ered  just  such  a  breast  as  it  did  then.  If  we  could 
only  turn  that  bosom  inside  out,  and  have  a  full  view 
of  the  boy's  heart,  we  should  learn  what  no  writer 
can  ever  describe.  It  was  a  man's  heart  in  a  boy's 
breast.  There  was  not  room  for  it  under  the  jacket. 
It  swelled  with  inexpressible  emotions,  as  ground- 
swells  sometimes  lift  the  ocean  higher  than  usual. 
"  One  hundred  cents,  all  in  one  day  !  "  The  more  he 
thought  of  it  on  his  way  home  the  prouder  grew  the 
occasion.  "  Seventy-five  days  like  that  would  yield 
him  as  much  as  Thomas  brought  from  Michigan  !  " 
The  thought  was  too  great  for  belief.  That  would 
not  be  half  so  long  as  Thomas  was  gone,  and  away 
from  home,  too.  And  so  he  thought  and  pondered, 
and  pondered  and  thought,  on  his  way  home,  his 
boyhood  putting  on  manhood  in  more  than  one  re 
spect.  He  was  "Great  Heart,"  bare-footed  and  in 
jean  trousers. 

Whether  James  intended  to  ape  Thomas  or  not, 
we  cannot  say  ;  but,  on  reaching  home,  he  unloaded 
the  coppers  into  his  mother's  lap,  saying,  — 
9 


130  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"Yours,  mother." 

"All  that,  James?" 

"  One  hundred  cents,"  was  James'  reply. 

"What !  earned  a  dollar  to-day?  " 

"Yes ;  I  planed  a  hundred  boards." 

By  this  time  Mrs.  Garfield  became  as  dumb  as 
she  was  over  the  seventy-five  dollars  that  Thomas 
brought  to  her.  There  was  some  trouble  in  her 
throat,  and  the  power  of  speech  left  her.  She  could 
not  tell  what  she  thought,  nor  how  she  felt.  If  her 
eldest  son  had  made  her  cry  with  kindness,  the 
youngest  one  was  doing  the  best  he  could  to  imitate 
his  example.  The  little  son  could  be  handled  as  the 
big  one  could  not  be,  and  so  the  dear,  good  mother 
folded  him  to  her  breast,  as  the  only  way  to  tell  her 
love  when  the  tongue  was  voiceless. 


IX. 

BARN-BUILDING. 

JAMES*  job  at  Treat's  carpenter-shop  in 
troduced  him  into  further  business  in  that 
line.  The  winter  school,  however,  inter 
vened,  and  James  attended  it  without  the 
loss  of  a  single  day.  The  day  after  the  school 
closed,  Mr.  Treat  called. 

"I'm  after  James,"  said  he' to  Mrs.  Garfield.  "I 
have  a  barn  to  build  for  Mr.  Boynton,  and  can  give 
him  a  job  before  his  farm-work  begins." 

"That  will  suit  him,"  replied  Mrs.  Garfield.     "I 
think  he  likes  that  kind  of  work  better  than  farming." 
Just  then  James  made  his  appearance. 
"Young  man,  I'm  after  you,"  said  Mr.  Treat  to 
him. 

"  For  what?  "  asked  James. 

"  Another  job  of  work." 

"Planing  boards?" 

"  No.     Better  than  that.1* 

"What?" 

131 


132  LOG-CABfN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Building  a  barn  for  Mr.  Boynton." 

"I'd  like  that,"  said  James ;  "I  want  to  learn  to 
build  a  barn  myself." 

"  You  can,  easily.     That's  not  much  of  a  job." 

"When  do  you  want  me?" 

"  Right  off,  —  to-morrow,  if  you  can." 

"To-morrow  it  is,  then." 

"  With  other  work  I  have  in  the  shop  I  can  keep 
you  at  it  until  farming  begins." 

"That  will  just  suit  me.  Shall  I  work  by  the 
day?" 

"Yes,  by  the  day,  if  you  will.  I'll  give  you  not 
less  than  forty  cents  a  day,  nor  more  than  fifty, 
according  as  you  get  along  with  it." 

"  I'll  be  satisfied  with  that,  and  will  be  on  hand 
to-morrow  morning,"  James  answered,  as  Mr.  Treat 
was  leaving. 

rf  Nothing  like  trying,'  mother,"  said  James,  after 
the  carpenter  was  gone,  repeating  her  old,  familiar 
saw.  "  I  shouldn't  have  got  this  job  if  I  hadn't  tried 
for  one  last  fall." 

"  Very  likely  not,"  replied  his  mother ;  "  and  you 
would  not  have  had  this  if  you  had  not  done  the  first 
one  so  well.  Nothing  like  doing  things  well,  always 
remember  that." 

"  It's  almost  equal  to  trying,  isn't  it?"  added  James, 
roguishly. 

"Perhaps  it  is  more  than  equal  to  it.  They  who 
do  their  work  well,  are  the  ones  who  get  work. 
People  don't  want  botchers  about." 

"  What  are  botchers  ?     Blunderers  ?  " 


BARN-BUILDING.  133 

w  Those  who  don't  do  their  work  well  —  they  are 
botchers.  Your  father  used  to  say,  f  What's  worth 
doing  at  all,  is  worth  doing  well,'  and  he  was  about 
right.  Another  thing  he  used  to  say  was,  *  If  you 
know  a  thing,  know  it  certainly.'" 

"  I  don't  see  how  a  person  can  really  know  any 
thing  without  knowing  it  certainly,"  remarked 
James.  "  If  I  know  anything,  I  know  it." 

"Sometimes  you  know  a  lesson  better  than  you  do 
at  other  times,  do  you  not?"  answered  his  mother. 

"  That  may  be ;  but  if  I  don't  know  a  lesson  cer 
tainly,  I  don't  know  much  about  it,"  replied  James. 
"I  should  be  ashamed  not  to  know  a  lesson  cer 
tainly." 

"I  hope  you  always  will  be,"  remarked  his  mother ; 
"and,  what  is  more,  I  hope  you  will  always  be 
ashamed  not  to  do  your  work  thoroughly." 

"I  mean  to  learn  how  to  frame  a  barn,"  said 
James. 

"I  should  think  you  might  learn  that  easy  enough," 
responded  Mrs.  Garfield.  "  It's  true  I  don't  know 
much  about  it,  but  it  doesn't  appear  to  me  to  be  very 
difficult  to  learn  to  frame  a  barn." 

"  I  know  that  I  can  learn  how,"  added  James. 

"  Mr.  Treat  will  give  you  a  good  chance  to  learn 
how,  I  think,  if  you  tell  him  what  you  want." 

"  1  shall  do  that."  And  James  did  do  it.  As  soon 
as  he  commenced  work  the  next  day,  he  made 
known  his  wishes. 

"Mr.  Treat,  I  want  to  learn  how  to  frame  a  barn,M 
he  said.  "  Can't  I  learn ?" 


134  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Most  too  much  of  a  youngster  for  that  business,'* 
answered  Mr.  Treat ;  "  but  you  can  have  the  chance. 
Just  keep  your  eyes  open  to  see  how  the  work  is 
laid  out,  and  it  is  easy  enough." 

"Well,  I  can  do  that;  my  eyes  are  usually  open 
in  the  daytime,"  said  James,  naively. 

"And  you  must  see  with  your  brain  as  well  as 
with  your  eyes,  if  you  would  learn,"  added  Mr. 
Treat.  "You  see  how  that  is,  don't  you?  " 

"  I  see." 

"  You  must  have  a  little  idea  of  the  plan  to  begin 
with,  though;  "  and  Mr.  Treat  proceeded  to  exhibit 
his  plan  to  the  boy,  explaining  it  to  him  as  well  as 
he  could.  James  took  in  the  principal  idea  in  the 
outset,  and  proceeded  to  assist  in  framing  the  build 
ing  with  increased  intelligence.  An  examination  of 
the  plan  showed  him  that  it  was  more  necessary  for 
his  "  brains  to  see  "  the  why  and  wherefore  than  he 
had  supposed.  But  Mr.  Treat  was  deeply  inter 
ested  'in  teaching  the  boy,  and  so  kept  him  at  work 
directly  under  his  eye.  He  directed-  his  attention 
both  to  the  plan  and  the  frame,  that  he  might  learn 
the  real  use  of  the  former  to  the  carpenter. 

"  Can't  do  anything  without  a  plan,"  remarked 
Mr.  Treat  one  day  to  James. 

"How  is  it  about  milking?"  asked  James,  face 
tiously. 

"It  is  true  in  milking,  my  boy.  By  plan  I  mean 
system,  and  you  can't  milk  without  system.  About 
such  a  time,  morning  and  night,  you  milk  the  cows, 
and  that  systematic  way  enables  you  to  accomplish 


BARN-BUILDING.  135 

other  work  more  successfully.  Then,  too,  the  cows 
give  more  milk  by  milking  them  systematically.'' 

"  I  didn't  know  that,"  said  James,  surprised  that 
cows  would  give  more  milk  by  systematic  milking. 

"  It  is  true,  whether  you  knew  it  or  not,"  remarked 
Mr.  Treat.  "  Even  the  Lord  would  make  a  failure 
in  running  this  world  without  system.  The  fact  is, 
Jimmy,  you  have  to  run  your  farm  on  God's  plan,  or 
it  won't  run  at  all.  If  you  should  plant  two  kernels 
of  corn  where  God  means  that  only  one  shall  grow, 
you  would  have  your  labor  for  your  pains.  You 
can  raise  no  corn  in  that  way.  You  could  raise  a 
plenty  of  stalks,  but  mighty  little  corn.  Hens  would 
starve  to  death  in  such  a  corn-field.  If  you  should 
sow  two  bushels  of  wheat  where  there  should  be 
only  one  bushel  on  the  Lord's  plan,  your  biscuit 
would  be  pretty  small  next  winter." 

James  laughed  at  this  eccentric  way  of  putting 
things,  and,  at  the  same  time,  he  received  some 
very  valuable  ideas  from  the  sensible  carpenter,  who 
continued,  very  much  in  the  same  vein : 

"'  A  place  for  everything,  and  everything  in  its 
place,'  is  an  old  adage,  and  just  as  true  as  Genesis. 
The  men  who  obey  this  rule  are  the  men  who  suc 
ceed  ;  and  the  men  who  never  mind  it  are  the  ones 
who  go  to  smash.  I've  seen  that  over  and  over. 
There's  no  use  a-trying  to  run  things  on  the  line  of 
disorder  and  confusion  ;  they'll  get  upset,  sure.  No 
man  can  amount  to  much  in  ;>iis  world  except  on 
system.  Remember  that,  Jimmy,  and  you  will  come 
out  all  right." 


136  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  You  mean  a  time  to  study,  and  a  time  to  work, 
and  a  time  topiay?"  inquired  James. 

"  That's  it ;  only  I  should  cut  the  time  to  play 
pretty  short,"  replied  Mr.  Treat.  "Not  much  time 
to  play  in  Ohio,  when  we  have  all  that  we  can  do 
10  make  the  ends  meet.  'All  play  and  no  work 
y^kes  Jack  a  dull  boy,'  they  say,  and  I  guess 'tis 
irue*  But,  look  here,  have  we  got  this  right?" 
(springing  up  to  examine  his  work).  "  I  have  been 
so  busy  talking  that  I  didn't  stop  to  think  what  I  was 
about.  All  talking  and  careless  work  will  make  a 
botch  of  it." 

The  work  was  found  all  right  and  in  a  good  state 
of  progress.  And  now  in  silence  the  labor  wrent  on 
for  an  hour  or  two,  James  minding  his  P's  and  Q^s, 
and  the  carpenter  keeping  an  eye  on  his  plan  and 
his  work. 

We  must  state  the  upshot  of  this  barn-building  in 
a  word,  as  space  is  dwindling  away.  The  barn  was 
completed  according  to  the  contract,  and  without 
a  break  from  the  start.  Perhaps  James  could  not 
have  framed  a  barn  without  assistance  when  the 
building  was  completed,  but  he  learned  a  great  deal 
about  the  carpenter's  trade  while  lie  worked  upon  it. 
Evening  after  evening  he  studied  over  it  alone. 
He  drew  a  plan  of  his  own,  and  studied  it  hour  after 
hour,  in  order  to  learn  how  to  frame  a  barn.  With 
the  same  persistent  efforts  that  he  mastered  a  prob 
lem  in  arithmetic,  he  studied  his  plan  of  framing  a 
building ;  and  although  he  did  not  become  master 
of  the  art,  he,  nevertheless,  approximated  to  it. 


BARN-BUILDING. 


137 


When  the  barn  was  completed  Mr.  Treat  paid  James 
fifty  cents  a  day,  amounting  to  nearly  twenty  dollars, 
saying, 

"  You've  earned  it,  every  cent  of  it,  James." 

During  the  previous  winter  James  made  great  pro 
gress  in  his  studies,  by  improving  the  long  evenings. 
He  had  learned  about  all  he  could  learn  in  the 
district  school,  although  he  continued  to  go  in  the 
winter  time.  In  some  things  he  was  more  advanced 
than  his  teacher,  and  often  put  questions  which  the 
teacher  could  not  answer.  He  mastered  Adams' 
Arithmetic  during  the  winter.  Lying  flat  on  the 
floor,  that  the  light  of  the  fire  might  shine  on  his 
book,  he  studied  arithmetic  every  evening  for  weeks, 
until  he  had  learned  all  there  was  to  learn  in  it, 
and  he  was  really  more  competent  to  teach  that 
science  than  the  man  who  presided  over  the  district 
school.  The  scholars  said  that  James  actually  per 
formed  a  problem  one  day  that  had  proved  too  much 
for  their  teacher,  much  to  the  mortification  of  the 
latter. 

"  I  think  the  answer  in  the  book  must  be  wrong," 
remarked  the  teacher,  after  an  ineffectual  attempt  to 
solve  the  problem  for  a  class.  "  You  may  try  it, 
Henry,  and  when  you  are  through,  bring  me  the 
slate." 

Henry  Boynton  was  good  in  arithmetic,  but  he 
could  not  bring  an  answer  like  that  in  the  book, 
though  it  differed  from  the  teacher's  answer. 

"I  can't  do  it,"  said  Henry.  "My  answer  is  not 
like  that  in  the  book." 


138  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Bring  your  slate  to  me,"  said  the  teacher. 

Henry  carried  his  slate  to  the  teacher,  who  exam 
ined  his  work  without  pointing  out  an  error,  but 
adding, 

"  The  answer  in  the  book  must  be  wrong." 

Here  James  interrupted  by  saying, 

«  I  did  it  once." 

"And  did  you  get  the  same  answer  as  the  book?" 

"Yes,  sir,  I  think  so." 

"  Let  me  see  you  do  it,  and  then  bring  your  slate 
to  me." 

James  went  to  work  in  his  earnest  way,  and 
solved  the  problem  very  readily. 

"  I've  done  it,"  said  James,  carrying  his  slate  to 
the  teacher. 

The  latter  closely  examined  his  solution  of  the 
problem,  and  found  it  to  be  correct,  agreeing  exactly 
with  the  text-book. 

"  It  is  true,  James,  you  have  performed  it,"  said 
the  teacher,  with  evident  mortification,  which  the 
larger  scholars  enjoyed.  It  was  fun  for  them  to 
have  James  beat  the  master.  They  had  an  exalted 
opinion  of  James'  abilities,  and  now  he  became  their 
oracle.  A  boy  who  was  a  match  for  the  master  was 
a  prodigy  in  their  view.  They  looked  up  to  him 
with  a  kind  of  reverence,  though  he  was  their  com 
panion. 

We  must  not  forget  to  mention  one  book  that  he 
read  during  that  winter,  "  Robinson  Crusoe."  We 
know  not  how  it  came  into  his  hands,  but  he  ob 
tained  it  in  some  way,  and  read  it  twice  through. 


BARN-BUILDING. 


139 


Flat  on  his  face  before  the  blazing  fire,  he  read  the 
volume  hour  after  hour,  and  wondered  over  it.  He 
was  very  fond  of  reading  about  adventures  ;  but  this 
book  surpassed  anything  of  the  kind  he  had  ever 
read. 

"I  wish  this  book  belonged  to  me,"  he  said  to  his 
mother  one  day. 

"  If  you  read  it  much  more  its  contents  will  be- 
iong  to  you,"  his  mother  replied. 

"I  wish  I  owned  \k,  then,"  added  James. 

"  1  wish  you  did,  too,"  responded  his  mother. 
"What  is  there  about  it  that  interests  you  so  much, 
my  son?  " 

"It's  splendid,"  was  James'  answer.  "I  never 
read  such  an  interesting  book.  I  could  read  it  ten 
times  over,  and  not  get  tired  of  it.  I  wonder  if 
there  are  any  more  books  like  it." 

"I  suppose  there  are,  if  we  knew  where  to  find 
them,"  Mrs.  Garfield  answered. 

"Pd  be  willing  to  hunt  one  while  for  them,"  said 
James. 

The  impression  made  by  that  book  upon  his  mind 
was  never  effaced.  It  not  only  sharpened  his  appetite 
yet  more  for  reading,  if  that  were  possible,  but  it 
set  him  to  inquiring  more  than  ever  concerning  books 
which  he  had  never  seen. 

Some  time  after  this,  his  cousin,  William  Boynton, 
came  into  possession  of  a  copy  of  Josephus,  and  he 
shared  the  pleasure  of  reading  it  with  James.  They 
read  it,  by  the  hour  together,  and  they  read  it  sep 
arately,  too,  over  and  over.  When  the  winter 


I40  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

school  opened,  the  boys  asked  the  teacher  for  the 
privilege  of  reading  it  in  the  class,  for  their  reading 
lesson  ;  and  the  privilege  was  granted.  All  winter 
they  read  it  in  school,  in  addition  to  the  hours  they 
read  it  out  of  school.  When  James  was  through 
with  that  volume,  and  ready  to  take  up  another,  he 
could  repeat  pages  of  it,  and  he  can  repeat  them  to 
day. 

The  following  summer  two  incidents  occurred 
that  illustrate  the  character  of  James  at  that  time. 
The  first  was  a  proposition  from  a  companion, 
whose  name  we  do  not  know,  but  whom  we  will 
call  David,  to  visit  a  mutual  acquaintance  in  a  dis 
tant  part  of  the  township,  on  the  Sabbath. 

"  Not  on  Sunday,"  said  James. 

"Why?" 

"  Because  it  is  not  right." 

"If  you  and  I  do  nothing  worse  than  that,  Jim, 
we  shall  be  pretty  good  fellers." 

"  We  should  not  be  any  better,  certainly,  for  do 
ing  that." 

v'Nor  any  worse,  in  my  opinion,"  rejoined  David. 

"  My  mother  would  not  consent  to  it,"  continued 
James. 

"  I  don't  know  whether  mine  would,  and  I  don't 
care ;  I  shan't  ask  her,"  said  David. 

"  I  never  should  go  anywhere  against  my  mother's 
advice,  continued  James.  "  I  know  what  she  thinks 
of  the  Sabbath,  and  I  respect  her  feelings.  I  shan't 
go  on  Sunday." 

"And  you  can't  go  on   any  other  day,  because 


BA  RN-B  UILDING. 


you  have  so  much  to  do,"  added  David;  "so  we 
must  give  up  going  at  all,  for  all  that  I  see." 

"  Rather  than  go  on  Sunday,  I  shall  not  go  at  all," 
was  James'  emphatic  reply.  "  But  it  is  not  certain 
that  we  can  never  go  on  another  day.  Wait  and 
see." 

"  I  guess  it  will  be  wait"  answered  David,  sar 
castically,  "  and  keep  waiting,  and  take  it  out  in 
waiting." 

"Well,  I  shall  wait  a  good  while  before  I  shall. go 
on  Sunday,"  added  James.  "If  I  had  no  scruples 
of  my  own  about  it,  I  could  take  no  comfort,  feeling 
that  I  went  against  mother's  wishes." 

This  emphatic  refusal  ended  the  matter.  It  was 
a  fair  illustration  of  the  frank  and  open  way  that 
James  had  of  doing  things.  There  was  no  artifice 
about  him,  no  double-dealing  or  deceitfulness.  He 
would  not  consent  to  wrong-doing  eyen  to  please  his 
best  friend.  He  never  resorted  to  subterfuges  to  ex- 

O 

cuse  himself  when  tempted  to  do  wrong.  He  spoke 
right  out  plainly  and  bluntly,  as  if  it  were  the  only 
way  to  speak.  Not  that  he  seemed  to  have  a  higher 
standard  of  morality  than  others,  but  it  was  his  na 
ture  to  be  frank  and  honest  with  every  one,  and  he 
wanted  others  to  be  so  towards  him.  Companions 
always  knew  just  where  to  find  him  at  all  times. 
They  knew  that  he  could  not  be  counted  upon  for 
questionable  practices  at  all.  He  was  full  of  life, 
and  enjoyed  a  good  time  as  much  as  any  boy  in 
town,  ready  for  a  frolic  at  all  suitable  times,  social, 
witty,  and  sharp ;  but  he  could  not  be  persuaded  or 


142  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

cajoled  into  wrong-doing.  He  showed  his  colors  at 
once. 

The  other  incident  illustrates  his  kindness  to  ani 
mals.  The  old  cat  and  James  were  particular 
friends,  and  appeared  to  understand  each  other  per 
fectly.  He  was  in  the  garden  with  James  one  day, 
in  whose  society  he  seemed  to  find  real  pleasure. 
The  same  boy  we  have  spoken  of,  David,  came 
along,  and  observing  the  cat,  began  pelting  him 
with  stones,  frightening  puss  so  that  he  fled  to  the 
house.  David  might  as  well  have  pelted  James 
with  stones.  Stone  his  cat,  and  he  was  stoned. 

"That's  outrageous,"  exclaimed  James. 

"  Only  a  cat,"  answered  David. 

"  Only  cruelty,  that  will  stone  a  cat,"  responded 
James. 

"  I  didn't  think  it  was  your  cat." 

"  It  don't  make  any  difference  whose  cat  it  is ; 
a  cat  is  a  cat."  „ 

"And  a  rat  is  a  rat,"  added  David,  designing  to 
make  fun  of  the  affair. 

"  I  can't  bear  to  see  an  animal  abused,"  continued 
James. 

"  I  didn't  hit  him,"  pleaded  David. 

"No  thanks  to  you  ;  you  meant  to  hit  him.  You 
frightened  him  half  out  of  his  wits." 

"  He  hasn't  any  wits  to  be  frightened  out  of,"  re 
torted  David.  "Nothing  but  a  cat." 

"  And  so  you  might  abuse  any  animal  in  the 
world,  and  say  'Nothing  but  a  dog; ''  *  Nothing  but 


BARN-BUILDING.  143 


a  horse ; '  '  Nothing  but  an  ox.*  I  wouldn't  abuse 
any  creature  so." 

"I  don't  think  you  would,  Jim.  You  are  too  ten 
der-hearted  for  that.  A  mouse  could  play  on  your 
chin  safely  if  he  only  knew  you." 

"  He  wouldn't  play  on  yours,  Dave,  if  he  knew  you, 
that's  certain.  It  would  be  the  most  dangerous 
place  he  could  find." 

"Well,  Jim,  ask  pardon  of  your  cat  forme,  will 
you?  I'm  sorry  that  I  offended  his  majesty.  I'll 
befriend  cats  forever  now."  And  David  went  on  his 
way,  leaving  James  to  his  reflections. 

This  was  another  good  trait  of  James',  kindness 
to  animals.  He  was  as  kind  to  them  as  he  was  to 
human  beings.  He  could  see  no  reason  for  abusing 
any  creature,  however  insignificant.  Abuse  was 
cruelty,  in  his  view. 

Still  another  incident  may  be  rehearsed  here  as 
well  as  any  place.  James  was  a  boy  of  spirit, 
though  he  was  neither  pugnacious  nor  malicious. 
He  wanted  to  see  the  rights  of  the  smallest  boy  re 
spected,  and  he  would  contend  for  it  if  necessary.  In 
school  there  was  a  fatherless  boy  like  himself,  and 
no  big  brother  to  take  his  part.  Some  of  the  larger 
boys  were  in  the  habit  of  teasing  him,  and  James  de 
clared  that  it  should  stop.  James  was  older  than  the 
boy,  though  not  as  old  as  the  boys  who  teased  him. 

"It's  too  bad,"  exclaimed  James;  "and  if  you 
tease  him  any  more  you  tease  me." 

"  Tease  you  it  is,  then,"  answered  one  of  the  boys, 
with  a  motion  and  remark  indicating  the  attempt. 


LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


"Just  as  you  like,"  continued  James.  "You  can 
operate  on  me,  but  you  shan't  on  that  little  fellow 
unless  you  are  stronger  than  I  am.  Take  boys  of 
your  size,  or  none." 

"You  are  mightily  taken  with  that  little  chap,"  said 
another  boy  ;  "  /  don't  see  anything  so  very  interest 
ing  about  him." 

"Well,  I  do;  he  hain't  got  any  father  nor  big 
brother,  and  I'll  stand  in  the  place  of  both  to  him  in 
this  school." 

"  Daddy  Jim  and  Brother  Jim  it  is,  then,"  ex 
claimed  a  large  boy,  aiming  to  make  all  the  fun  of 
it  possible. 

"Yes,  anything  you  please,  so  long  as  you  don't 
run  on  him,"  answered  James,  pleasantly.  "I  can 
stand  it  as  long  as  you  can." 

And  thus  he  shamed  the  teasing  of  the  little  fel 
low  out  of  the  large  boys,  exhibiting  both  courage  and 
principle  in  the  defence  of  the  helpless  lad.  Taking 
advantage  of  the  weak,  poor,  and  friendless,  ap 
pealed  to  his  higher  and  better  nature  as  it  does 
now. 

November  came,  and  the  harvesting  was  done. 
The  carpenter  came,  also,  saying, 

"Another  barn,  James.     Want  another  job?" 

"Yes,  aching  for  one,"  James  replied. 

"  All  ready  for  you  ;  can  you  begin  right  off  ?  " 

"To-morrow,  if  you  want." 

"You  are  a  minute-man,  I  see." 

"  I  s'pose  I  am,  though  I  don't  know  what  that  is." 

"Men,  in  the  Revolution,  who  stood  ready  to  de- 


BARN-BUILDING.  145 

fend   their   country  at   a  moment's   warning,   were 
minute-men." 

"  Then,  I'm  a  minute-man ;  I'm  ready  any  minute 
for  building  a  barn." 

"  I  want  to  put  this  one  through  in  a  hurry." 

*  Whose  is  it?" 

"Bernard's,  yonder." 

"Oh,  over  there?" 

It  was  further  for  James  to  travel  than  the  other 
barn  was ;  but  it  was  all  the  same  to  him. 

"It's  goin'  to  be  a  larger  barn." 

"Much  larger?" 

"  No ;  just  enough  to  call  it  larger,  that's  all. 
See  you  to-morrow  morning."  And  Mr.  Treat  hast 
ened  back,  adding,  as  he  turned  to  go,  "same  pay 
as  before." 

The  'details  must  be  omitted.  The  building  of 
this  barn  provided  James  with  additional  facilities 
for  learning  how  to  frame  a  building ;  and  he  im 
proved  the  opportunity.  In  many  things  he  was 
able  to  go  ahead  without  depending  upon  his  em 
ployer,  the  progress  which  he  made  in  building  the 
first  barn  being  of  great  service  to  him  in  building 
the  second. 

"  Not  a  word  of  fault  to  find  with  you,  James," 
remarked  his  employer,  when  the  barn  was  com 
pleted.  "  Work  comes  easy  to  you,  and  you  earn 
your  money." 

"  I  mean  to  know  how  to  frame  a  barn  yet,"  an- 
swered  James. 

"Then  you  don't  think  you  can  quite  do  it  yet?" 
10 


146  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"Hardly,"  said  James. 

"  Pluck  and  brains  will  accomplish  it,  and  you 
have  both,"  added  Mr.  Treat,  intending  to  pay  his 
young  employ^  a  fine  compliment. 

"  I'll  give  you  another  chance  at  it  one  of  these 
days,"  Mr.  Treat  added.  "  I  owe  you  fifteen  dollars, 
just."  And  he  counted  out  the  money,  and  passed 
it  to  the  happy  boy. 

"  There  !  the  highest  price  I  said,  fifty  cents  a  day  ; 
and  I'm  well  satisfied,  too,"  Mr.  Treat  continued. 

James  had  just  passed  his  thirteenth  birthday,  and 
he  was  developing  rapidly  into  a  stalwart  boy  for 
one  of  his  age.  The  winter  school  opened,  and  he 
attended  as  usual,  although  he  had  about  all  there 
was  in  the  text-books  at  his  tongue's  end.  He  could 
repeat  a  good  part  of  his  reading-book,  and  perform 
the  problems  in  arithmetic  with  his  eyes  shut ;  yet  it 
was  excellent  discipline  to  go  over  them  again. 

That  winter  he  found  somewhere  another  volume 
to  read,  that  greatly  interested  him.  It  was  next  to 
"  Robinson  Crusoe,"  in  his  estimation.  The  book 
was  ?  Alonzo  and  Melissa,"  well  suited  to  fascinate 
a  boy  like  him.  Once  reading  did  not  satisfy  him. 
There  were  two  books  now  that  towered  above  all 
the  books  he  ever  read,  and  he  wondered  if  there 
were  any  more  like  them,  if  so,  where?  On  the 
whole  it  was  a  profitable  winter  to  him ;  and  he  be 
gan  to  feel  that  he  could  do  better  for  his  mother 
than  to  run  her  little  farm.  Just  before  the  close  of 
school,  he  said  to  his  mother, 

"  I've  been  thinking  that  I  can  do  better  for  you 


BARN-BUILDING.  147 

than  to  stay  on  the  farm.  I  could  get  twelve  dollars 
a  month  to  go  out  to  work." 

"  Perhaps  so,"  was  all  his  mother  said. 

"You  could  keep  a  cow,  hire  a  man  to  plant  what 
is  necessary,  and  take  care  of  it ;  and  it  wouldn't 
cost  a  quarter  as  much  as  I  can  earn,"  James  con 
tinued. 

"And  it  would  be  four  times  as  hard  for  you," 
responded  Mrs.  Garfield.  "  It's  better  for  a  boy  like 
you  to  go  to  school  while  he  can,  and  not  labor  all 
the  time.  Boys  should  not  work  too  hard." 

"I  knew  what  you'd  say;  I've  learned  that  by 
heart,"  replied  James.  "But  I  was  never  hurt  by 
work  yet,  and  I  never  expect  to  be." 

"Nevertheless,  you  may  be,"  responded  his  mother. 

"A  feller  may  as  well  be  earning  something  when 
he  can  ;  there's  need  enough  of  it  in  this  part  of  the 
world,"  added  James. 

"In  this  part  of  the  world  !  "  repeated  his  mother ; 
"  you  don't  seem  to  have  so  high  an  opinion  of  this 
part  of  the  country  as  you  might.  What's  the 
trouble  with  it?" 

"  No  trouble  as  I  know,  only  a  feller  has  a  better 
chance  in  some  other  places." 

"Better  chance  for  what?  "  asked  his  mother. 

"To  get  a  living,  or  make  a  man,  or  most  any 
thing,"  answered  James. 

"  There's  a  better  chance  to  get  an  education  in 
some  other  places,  I  admit;  and  I  hope  you  will 
enjoy  it  some  day,"  continued  Mrs.  Garfield. 

James  knew  much  about  the  world  now.     All  that 


148  LOG-CABIX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Morse's  Geography  could  teach  him  about  his  own 
and  other  countries  he  knew  thoroughly.  He  had 
picked  up  much  information,  too,  about  New  Eng 
land  and  the  State  of  New  York ;  and  he  under 
stood  very  well  that  the  opportunities  for  a  boy  to 
earn  money,  study,  and  to  rise  in  the  world,  were 
greater  in  many  other  parts  of  the  country.  It  was 
easy  to  discover  the  aspirations  of  a  noble  spirit  in 
the  boy.  He  was  beginning  to  feel  cramped  and 
confined  on  the  little  farm.  His  soul  was  outgrow* 
ing  its  sphere  of  childhood,  and  was  waiting  to 
plume  its  wings  for  higher  flights.  The  young 
eagle  was  getting  ready  to  leave  the  nest,  and  soar. 

His  mother  did  not  look  with  favor  upon  the  boy's 
suggestions.  James  must  be  content  to  live  upon 
the  farm  for  a  while.  Providence  would  open  the 
way  out  into  the  broad  world  at  the  right  time. 
"Wait  for  Providence." 

So  James  suppressed  ambitious  desires,  and  con 
tented  himself  to  remain  at  home,  running  the  farm, 
working  out  by  the  day  for  the  farmers,  as  opportu 
nity  offered,  as  well  as  working  at  barn-building. 
Before  he  was  fifteen  years  old  Mr.  Treat  gave  him 
an  opportunity  to  work  on  three  more  barns,  and  one 
shed,  so  that  he  did  learn  how  to  frame  a  barn,  and 
was  really  a  better  carpenter,  at  fifteen  years  of  age, 
than  some  of  the  carpenters  in  that  region  who 
claimed  to  have  learned  the  trade.  Being  able  to 
turn  his  hand  to  any  kind  of  labor,  he  found  a 
plenty  to  do,  leaving  him  but  limited  time  for  play. 
James  was  as  fond  of  sports  as  any  other  boy; 


BARN-BUILDING.  149 

and  his  genial  nature,  ready  wit,  and  gentlemanly 
bearing  united  to  make  him  popular  with  pleasure- 
seekers.  Without  him  they  had  dull  times.  His 
presence  added  a  charm  to  the  social  circle. 

As  already  intimated,  he  had  grown  into  a  large, 
strong  boy ;  as  Mr.  Treat  sometimes  said,  "  as 
strong  as  an  ox/'  He  could  lift  as  much  as  the 
strongest  man  in  the  vicinity,  although  he  was  not 
agile.  He  was  too  large  and  heavy  to  be  an  expert 
at  jumping  or  running ;  but  his  practical  wisdom 
was  as  manifest  in  sports  as  it  was  in  works.  He 
was  such  after  he  had  passed  his  fourteenth  birth 
day, —  more  advanced  and  efficient  than  most  youths 
of  that  day  at  eighteen. 

We  shall  close  this  chapter  with  a  single  incident, 
that  occurred  in  the  winter  after  James'  fourteenth 
birthday. 

"Jim,  will  you  go  to  Cleveland  with  me  to-mor 
row?"  inquired  Edwin  Mapes  of  James,  as  he  called 
at  Mrs.  Garfield's  in  the  evening.  "  I'm  goin*  for 
father,  to  morrow." 

"  I  don't  know  ;  perhaps  I  will,"  replied  James,  in 
a  hesitating  manner,  as  if  it  were  doubtful. 

'Don't  know?"  Who  does  know  if  you  don't? 
Come,  go  ;  I  want  company,"  pleaded  Edwin. 

"You'll  have  a  cold  ride,"  suggested  James. 

"Not  very  cold  if  you  go,"  responded  Edwin. 
M  You  and  I  can  keep  warm  anywhere  in  Ohio. 
Say  yes,  and  I'll  be  off." 

"Be  off?  what's  your   hurry?   sit  down,   and  I 


150  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

will  tell  you  in  the  course  of  half  an  hour,"  re 
sponded  James,  teasingly. 

Edwin  took  a  seat,  whereupon  James  added : 

"Yes,  I'll  go,  and  be  glad  to;  start  as  early  as 
you  please." 

"  I  shan't  start  very  early ;  no  particular  need  of 
it.  Goin'  over  and  back,  without  stopping  long," 
added  Edwin. 

On  the  following  day  *the  two  boys  drove  to 
Cleveland  together.  Mr.  Mapes'  horse  was  a  capital 
roadster,  and  Edwin  understood  well  how  to  drive 
him,  and  James  could  ride  as  fast  as  Edwin  could 
drive,  without  raising  a  serious  objection.  So  their 
trip  was  quick,  and  devoid  of  monotony. 

On  their  return,  a  rough,  bloated  fellow  rode  up 
behind  them,  and  shouted,  with  a  volley  of  oaths, 

"  Out  the  way,  boys,  I'm  in  a  hurry  ;  "  and  suiting 
his  motions  to  the  word  he  turned  out  to  drive  by 
them. 

"No,  you  don't,"  shouted  Edwin,  as  he  drew  the 
reins  tight,  and  gave  his  horse  a  cut  with  the  whip ; 
and  almost  side  by  side  the  two  teams  flew  along  the 
road  for  a  half  mile,  the  whiskey-soaked  traveler 
pouring  out  oaths  at  the  boys  with  every  blow  of  his 
whip. 

"  Come  on,"  shouted  Edwin  to  the  fellow,  at  the 
same  time  beckoning  with  his  hand  to  him  when  he 
had  left  him  ten  or  fifteen  rods  in  the  rear.  "  Come 
on  !  Come  on  !  " 

They  were  too  far  in  advance  to  hear  his  voice, 
but  they  could  see  the  fellow's  very  expressive  ges- 


BARN-BUILDING.  1 5  I 

ticulations  with  his  fist.  James  enjoyed  the  victory 
hugely,  and  shook  his  sides  with  laughter. 

"  He  told  us  to  get  out  of  the  way,  and  we  have," 
was  about  all  the  remark  that  James  made  during 
the  contest. 

They  drove  on  at  a  very  good  pace  three  or  four 
miles,  when  they  came  up  to  a  little  country  inn, 
with  which  both  of  them  were  familiar. 

"  Let's  go  in  and  warm,"  proposed  James ;  "  my 
feet  are  cold  as  ice." 

"  Agreed,"  answered  Edwin  ;  and  turned  the  horse 
into  the  shed.  In  less  than  five  minutes  they  were 
standing  before  the  landlord's  fire.  In  less  than  five 
minutes  more  the  enraged  man  who  tried  to  run  by 
them  drove  up,  and  entered. 

"  I've  a  good  will  to  thrash  you  boys,"  he  shouted 
at  the  top  of  his  voice. 

The  boys  were  very  much  surprised  to  see  him  in 
such  a  passion. 

"What  you  going  to  thrash  us  for?"  answered 
Edwin. 

"  Thrash  you  for,  you  insulting  scamps  ?  I'll  let 
you  know,"  and  he  shook  his  fist  in  the  liveliest 
manner,  at  the  same  time  belching  forth  a  volley  of 
oaths,  that  we  omit,  since  they  did  not  embelish  his 
language,  though  they  contributed  some  force  to  it. 

"Why  didn't  you  let  me  go  by,  you  young  ras 
cals?"  he  continued. 

"  You  had  a  plenty  of  room  to  pass ;  as  much 
room  as  we  had,  and  the  same  right  to  the  road," 
replied  James,  coolly. 


152  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  But  I  couldn't,"  the  fellow  bellowed,  "you  good- 
for-nothing  brats." 

"  That's  not  our  fault,"  returned  James.  w  Better 
blame  your  horse." 

The  latter  sentence  had  a  ring  of  sarcasm  in  it, 
especially  as  the  boys  laughed  when  it  was  spoken ; 
and  the  brutal  man  stormed  again,  and  swore  he 
would  thrash  them. 

"  Better  thrash  me  first,"  said  James,  straightening 
himself  up  to  his  full  height,  and  appearing  more 
like  a  strong  man  than  a  boy  of  fourteen  years.  The 
bully  looked  at  him  for  a  moment,  as  if  querying 
whether  his  antagonist  was  not  a  man  after  all. 

"Why  take  you  first?"  he  said,  apparently  some 
what  cowed. 

"  Because  you  will  never  want  to  thrash  him  after 
wards,"  answered  James,  in  the  most  thundering 
voice  he  could  roll  out.  The  bully  turned  upon  his 
heels,  jumped  into  his  carriage,  and  drove  on. 

James  and  Edwin  were  soon  on  their  way  home, 
their  conversation  being  upon  the  unusual  experi 
ence  of  the  last  hour. 

"  I  was  glad  that  you  scared  him  so,"  remarked 
Edwin.  "  He  was  a  regular  coward." 

"  I  knew  he  was  a  coward  when  we  were  talking 
with  him, "James  replied.  "If  I  hadn't,  I  should 
have  kept  still.  I  don't  like  to  get  into  trouble  with 
anybody." 

"  I  thought  you  was  terribly  courageous,  for  you," 
remarked  Edwin.  "You  roared  at  him  like  thunder. 
Your  big  voice  is  enough  to  frighten  any  coward.19 


BARN-BUILDING.  153 

"  I  hope  that  it  will  never  frighten  anybody  else," 
was  the  only  reply  that  James  made. 

James  was  in  no  sense  a  bully.  Nor  was  he  given 
to  brag.  There  was  no  boy  in  Orange  township 
more  gentlemanly  and  considerate  than  he ;  none 
more  averse  to  pugilistic  contests.  At  the  same 
time,  he  would  stand  up  for  his  rights,  and  the  rights 
of  others.  He  would  defend  his  companions,  too,  with 
great  courage,  if  they  were  in  the  right.  If  they 
were  wrong,  he  would  not  defend  them  at  all ;  and 
he  would  frankly  state  his  reason.  These  facts  suf 
ficiently  explain  his  encounter  with  the  bully  at  the 
hotel. 


X. 

A  BLACK-SALTER. 

|HE  following  colloquy  will  explain  a  mat 
ter  that  must  not  be  omitted. 

"  I  have  come  again  for  James,"  said 
Mr.  Smith,  entering  Mrs.  Garfield's  cot 
tage.  "  Can't  get  along  without  him  when  we  weed 
the  peppermint." 

"Well,  James  will  be  glad  to  help  you  if  he  can, 
but  he  is  pretty  busy  now  on  the  farm,"  answered 
Mrs.  Garfield. 

"  Perhaps  he  can  squeeze  out  two  or  three  days 
now,  and  that  will  help  me  through,"  continued  Mr. 
Smith.  "  I  shall  have  twenty  boys  in  the  gang." 

"I  should  think  that  was  enough  without  James," 
remarked  Mrs.  Garfield. 

"It's  altogether  too  many  if  I  don't  have  him," 
replied  Mr.  Smith.  "You  see,  the  boys  do  as  well 
again  when  James  leads  them.  Somehow  he  has 
wonderful  influence  over  them." 

"I  didn't  know  that,"  remarked  Mrs.  Garfield. 

"  Well,  it's  true  ;  and  if  you  should  see  him  lead- 

154 


A  BLACK-SALTER. 


155 


ing  ofT,  and  interesting  them  by  stones,  anecdotes, 
and  fun,  you'd  be  surprised.  He  is  a  fast  worker, 
and  all  the  boys  put  in  and  work  as  hard  as  they 
can  to  keep  up,  that  they  may  hear  his  stones.  The 
boys  think  the  world  of  him." 

"I'm  glad  to  hear  such  good  things  of  him,"  re 
marked  Mrs.  Garfield.  "  I'm  willing  that  he  should 
help  you  if  he  can." 

"  I  shouldn't  mind  paying  him  something  extra  if 
he  will  come,"  Mr.  Smith  continued.  "I  can  afford 
to  do  that.  Each  boy  does  more  work,  and  where 
there's  twenty  of  them,  it's  considerable  in  my 
pocket." 

"Well,  you  can  find  James,  he  is  somewhere  on 
the  farm ;  and  I'm  willing  he  should  go  if  you  can 
fix  it  with  him,"  said  Mrs.  Garfield. 

Mr.  Smith  went  in  search  of  James,  and  found 
him  hard  at  work  in  the  field.  Making  known  his 
errand,  James  could  not  see  how  it  was  possible  for 
him  to  go,  at  least  for  a  week.  But  Mr.  Smith  soon 
removed  his  objections,  and  arranged  for  him  to 
come  the  next  day. 

This  Mr.  Smith  was  a  farmer,  and  his  land,  on 
the  Chagrin  Flats,  was  adapted  to  the  cultivation  of 
peppermint,  which  he  raised  for  the  market  in  large 
quantities.  It  was  necessary  to  keep  it  thoroughly 
weeded,  and  for  this  purpose  he  employed  a  gang  of 
boys  at  different  "times  in  the  season.  James  had 
served  Iiim  more  than  once  in  that  work,  and  the 
shrewd  farmer  had  noticed  that  the  gang  would  try 
to  keep  up  with  James,  so  as  to  hear  his  stories  and 


156  LOG-CABTN  TO  WHITE  ffOUSET., 

interesting  conversation.  James  was  a  capital  story 
teller,  and  all  that  he  ever  read  or  studied  was  in  his 
head.  His  remarkable  memory  served  him  a  good 
purpose  in  company,  whether  in  the  field  of  pepper 
mint,  or  elsewhere.  He  could  recall  almost  any 
anecdote  that  he  ever  heard,  and  could  relate  what 
ever  he  had  learned  about  his  own  or  other  countries 
from  Morse's  Geography.  Add  to  this  his  jovial  na 
ture,  his  conversational  powers,  and  his  singular  tact, 
and  we  can  readily  understand  how  he  could  "  lead 
the  g<ing." 

So  James  became  general  of  the  peppermint  bri 
gade  for  a  few  days,  to  accommodate  Mr.  Smith, 
and  again  his  precocity  and  large  acquisitions  of 
knowledge  enabled  him  to  lead  them  to  victory  over 
the  weeds.  The  weeds  melted  away  before  their 
triumphant  march,  as  the  rebels  disappeared  before 
the  Ohio  Forty-second  Regiment,  sixteen  years  af 
terwards. 

We  said  that  James  assisted  Mr.  Treat  to  build  a 
shed,  in  addition  to  the  several  barns.  The  shed 
was  the  last  building  on  which  he  worked  for  Mr. 
Treat,  and  it  was  about  ten  miles  from  home,  near 
Cleveland.  It  was  an  addition  to  quite  a  large  pot- 
ashery,  the  largest  in  all  that  region.  A  pot- 
ashery  was  an  establishment  containing  vats  for 
leeching  ashes,  and  large  kettles  for  boiling  the 
lye,  reducing  it  to  potash,  which,  in  its  crude 
state,  was  called  "black-salts."  The  manufac 
turer  of  the  article  was  called  a  "  black-salter." 
The  farmers  in  the  region,  when,  they  cleared  land, 


A  BLACK-SALTER.  157 

drew  the  logs  and  branches  of  trees  together  into 
huge  piles,  and  burned  them,  for  the  ashes  they 
could  collect  therefrom,  and  which  they  sold  to  the 
black-salters. 

The  black-salter  for  whom  Mr.  Treat  built  the 
shed,  took  a  great  fancy  to  James.  It  was  rather 
singular  that  he  did ;  for  he  was  a  rough,  unculti 
vated  man  himself.  Yet  the  politeness,  tact,  and 
brightness  of  James  captivated  the  old  man.  Be 
fore  the  shed  was  completed  he  resolved  that  he 
would  have  that  uncommon  boy  in  his  employ,  if 
possible.  One  day  he  took  James  aside,  and  said  to 
him, 

"  How'd  yer  like  to  come  and  work  for  me?  " 

James  was  just  fifteen  years  old  at  that  time.  The 
question  was  unexpected  to  James,  and  he  hesitated. 

"  I  want  jist  sich  a  hand  as  yer  are  in  my  business," 
the  salter,  whose  name  was  Barton,  continued.  "I 
reckon  yer  can  figger  'nough  for  me." 

"  I  don't  know  about  it,"  finally  James  replied ;  "it 
is  something  I  have  not  thought  about.  When  do 
you  want  me?  " 

"Jist  as  soon  as  yer  can  ;  yer  can't  come  ter  quick." 

"  I  couldn't  agree  to  come  until  I  have  seen  my 
mother  about  it,  any  way,"  continued  James.  "  Per 
haps  she  will  object." 

"  That's  the  sorter  boy  I  'sposed  yer  was,  to  mind 
yer  mother.  I  like  yer  all  the  better  for  that." 

"  How  long  will  you  want  me?  "  inquired  James. 

"Jist  as  long  as  yer '11  stay;  as  long  as  yer  live, 
maybe." 


158  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  How  much  will  you  pay  me?" 

"  I'll  give  yer  fourteen  dollars  a  month,  and  that's 
two  dollars  extra  pay."  By  this  Barton  meant  that 
he  would  pay  him  two  dollars  a  month  more  than 
he  was  wont  to  pay.  The  offer  was  proof  that  he 
was  amazingly  pleased  with  James. 

"  I  will  consult  my  mother  about  it  as  soon  as  I  go 
home,  and  let  you  know,"  said  James.  He  would 
not  go  home  until  the  shed  was  completed.  He 
boarded  with  Barton.  But  the  shed  was  almost  fin 
ished  ;  two  days  more  would  complete  it. 

"How  shall  I  know  yer'll  come? "said  Baiton, 
when  the  shed  was  done,  and  James  was  about  re 
turning  home. 

"  If  mother  is  willing  I  should  engage,  I  will  come 
next  Monday.  If  you  don't  see  me  next  Monday 
you  may  know  that  I  shall  not  come." 

"That's  bisniss,"  Barton  replied.  "Tell  yer 
mother  I  kin  do  the  right  thing  by  yer." 

It  was  a  rare  offer  to  a  boy  fifteen  years  old  — 
fourteen  dollars  a  month.  James  regarded  it  in  that 
light.  And  then,  it  was  constant  work  as  long  as  he 
pleased  to  continue ;  that  was  a  great  consideration. 
One  hundred  and  sixty-eight  dollars  a  year !  The 
thought  of  so  much  pay  elated  him  very  much. 

"  I  have  a  chance  to  go  right  to  work,  mother, 
and  work  as  many  months  as  I  please,  at  fourteen 
dollars  a  month,"  said  James,  as  soon  as  he  reached 
home. 

"  Where,"  inquired  his  mother,  with  an  air  of  sur 
prise. 


A   BLACK-SALTER. 


"For  Mr.  Barton,  the  black-salter." 

"  I  don't  think  it  is  the  right  sort  of  business  for 
you,  James,"  replied  his  mother. 

"  It's  the  right  sort  of  pay  though,"  James  an 
swered.  "  But  why  is  it  not  a  good  business  for 
me,  mother?" 

"  Because  a  rough  class  of  men  carry  on  the  busi 
ness,  and  you  will  be  exposed  to  many  evils,"  his 
mother  said. 

"  Exposed  to  evils  enough  anywhere,"  remarked 
James.  "  But  I  don't  propose  to  attend  to  the  evils, 
but  to  my  work." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  of  that,  my  son.  Your  inten 
tions  are  good  enough ;  but  you  may  be  enticed 
away  for  all  that." 

"  I  must  be  pretty  weak,  if  that's  the  case." 

"  We  are  all  weaker  than  we  think  we  are.  *  Let 
him  that  thinketh  he  standeth  take  heed  lest  he  fall/ 
We  all  have  reason  to  adopt  that  advice." 

"  Then  you  won't  give  your  consent  for  me  to 
go?"  James  said,  inquiringly. 

"  I  don't  say  that." 

"  What  do  you  say,  then?" 

"  I  say  that  you  had  better  consider  the  matter 
well  before  you  take  so  important  a  step." 

"  Can't  think  of  it  a  great  while,  for  I  have  prom 
ised  to  begin  work  for  him  next  Monday,  if  I  begin 
at  all." 

"As -soon  as  that?" 

*  Yes  ;  and  it  looks  to  me  as  if  the  time  had  come 


l6o  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

for  me  tc  give  up  the  farm,  that  I  may  earn  more  for 
you." 

"  What  did  Mr.  Treat  say  about  it?  " 

"  He  said  nothing  about  it,  because  he  knew  noth 
ing  about  it.  I  didn't  tell  him  about  it." 

*'  I  suppose  you  must  go  out  into  the  world  some 
time,  and  perhaps  now  is  the  time." 

"You  told  me,  once,  to  wait  for  Providence  to 
open  the  door,"  continued  James ;  "  and  if  Provi 
dence  didn't  open  this  door  then  I  shall  never  know 
when  Providence  does  open  the  door." 

The  truth  was,  Mrs.  Garfield  half  thought  that 
Providence  would  not  open  the  door  of  a  black- 
salter's  establishment  to  her  son  ;  but  she  did  not 
say  so.  She  smiled  at  James'  application  of  her 
teachings  about  Providence,  and  remarked : 

"  Perhaps  Providence  did  open  this  door.  If  you 
go  to  Mr.  Barton's,  and  resist  all  temptations  to  evil, 
and  maintain  your  good  character,  that  will  be  proof 
that  Providence  opened  this  door.  The  proof  of  it 
depends  on  yourself." 

"Then  you  give  your  consent?"  said  James. 

"Yes,  I  give  my  consent,  and  hope  it  will  turn 
out  for  the  best." 

Barton  was  a  happy  man  on  the  following  Mon 
day,  when  James  presented  himself  at  his  door,  with 
all  his  worldly  possessions  tied  up  in  a  pocket-hand 
kerchief. 

"  Yer've  come,"  he  said.  "  Yer  kin  put  your  duds 
in  yer  sleeping- room ;  "  and  he  showed  him  where 


A  BLACK-SALTER. 


he  would  lodge,  and  then  proceeded  to  the  manu 
factory  for  work. 

The  establishment  was  a  nasty  place,  and  the 
business,  or  much  of  it,  was  dirty.  Shoveling  ashes, 
attending  to  the  boilers,  and  disposing  of  the  black- 
salts,  was  not  an  inviting  business.  However,  James 
did  not  have  the  dirtiest  part  of  the  work  to  do,  un 
less  it  was  occasionally.  He  kept  the  books,  waited 
on  men  who  delivered  ashes  at  the  establishment, 
paying  their  bills,  and  he  waited  on  customers  also, 
acting  as  salesman.  He  did  other  things  when  ne 
cessary,  always  improving  his  time,  and  looking 
after  the  establishment,  as  if  he  were  Barton's  son. 
He  was  the  first  one  at  the  ashery  in  the  morning, 
and  the  last  one  to  leave  at  night.  Barton  soon 
learned  to  trust  him  wdth  implicit  confidence,  and  a 
father  could  not  have  been  kinder  to  the  boy  than 
he  was.  fc 

One  day  a  man  brought  a  load  of  ashes,  saying, 
"There  are  twenty-five  bushels."  James  had  not 
been  at  the  establishment  long,  before  he  resolved 
to  measure  all  ashes  purchased  as  they  were  un 
loaded.  Mr.  Barton  usually  took  them  for  the  num 
ber  of  bushels  claimed.  James  directed  the  men  in 
the  ashery  to  measure  the  load  in  question  as  it 
was  unloaded,  and  he  kept  tally.  There  were 
scarcely  more  than  twenty-two  bushels. 

"  Only  twenty-two  bushels,  sir,"  said  James  to  the 
owner. 

w  There  were  twenty-five  bushels  according  to  my 
measure,"  said  the  man. 
ii 


162  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"And  twenty -two,  according  to  mine,"  replied 
James.  "  I  will  pay  you  for  twenty-two  bushels  — 
no  more." 

"  I  think  you  made  a  mistake,"  remarked  the  man. 

"  If  there  was  any  mistake,  I  think  you  made  it." 
retorted  James.  "Three  heads  are  better  than  one, 
and  three  of  us  attended  to  the  measuring.  Shall  I 
pay  you  for  twenty-two  bushels  ?  " 

"Yes,  pay  away,"  the  man  answered,  sulkily. 

Barton  came  in  just  then,  when  James  told  him 
what  had  happened  ;  and  afterwards  he  told  him 
further,  that  there  was  a  great  deal  of  cheating  prac 
ticed  upon  him,  and  it  was  quite  time  for  his  inter 
ests  to  be  looked  after  more  closely.  All  this  served 
to  increase  Barton's  confidence  in  James. 

The  men  with  whom  James  had  to  do  about  the 
establishment  were  about  as  his  mother  had  sup 
posed —  a  rough,  wicked  class.  But  James  had 
nothing  to  do  with  them  except  in  the  business,  and 
they  made  no  impression  upon  him  as  to  weakening 
his  principles.  Most  of  them  were  terribly  profane, 
and  one  day  James  interrupted  one  of  them,  saying  : 

"Jake,  what  makes  you  swear  so?  You  are  awful. 
What  good  does  it  do  you?" 

"  I  s'poce  it  gits  some  of  yer  bad  stuff  out  of  me," 
was  Jake's  prompt  reply. 

"  If  that  is  the  case,  all  the  bad  stuff  ought  to  have 
been  out  of  you  long  ago ;  you  have  sworn  enough 
to  empty  yourself." 

"  Nary  bisness  of  yers,  any  way,"  the  swearer  an 
swered. 


A  ^BLA  CK-SAL  TER. 


w  I  should  think  that  the  more  bad  stuff  you  let 
out,  the  more  there  was  left,  Jake,"  continued  James. 
w  I  don't  want  you  should  empty  any  more  of  it 
about  me." 

"  What  is  't  to  yer,  any  way?"  answered  the  godless 
fellow,  displeased  at  the  rebuke. 

"  It  is  a  very  bad  habit,  Jake,  as  you  know,"  an 
swered  James.  "  It  does  you  no  good,  and  it  is  very 
unpleasant  to  many  persons  who  hear  you." 

"Stop  your  ears,  then,"  said  Jake,  angrily. 

"  There  is  no  use  being  mad  over  it,  Jake.  I  don't 
like  to  hear  your  profanity  ;  and  now  suppose  you 
just  please  me  a  little,  and  not  spill  any  more  of  the 
stuff  near  me." 

Jake  laughed,  and  turned  to  his  work.  He  could 
not  be  very  angry  with  James,  for  he  thought  too 
much  of  him.  In  this  frank  and  honest  way  James 
dealt  with  the  men.  There  was  no  danger  that  he 
would  be  enticed  away  by  that  class  of  men.  An 
other  danger,  however,  met  him  in  the  house,  and 
for  a  time  it  was  an  unsettled  question  whether 
Providence  or  Satan  opened  that  door.  If  his  good 
mother  had  been  cognizant  of  what  was  going  on, 
she  would  have  discovered  ample  reason  for  her  ap 
prehensions. 

A  book-loving  boy  like  James  would  not  be  long 
in  a  strange  place  without  finding  all  the  books  there 
were  ;  so  books  were  among  the  first  things  that 
attracted  his  attention  in  Barton's  house.  There 
were  "Marryat's  Novels,"  "Sindbad  the  Sailor," 
"The  Pirate's  Own  Book,"  "Jack  Halyard,"  "Lives 


164  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

of  Eminent  Criminals,"  "The  Buccaneers  of  the 
Caribbean  Seas,"  plundering  a  Spanish  galleon  ;  and 
perhaps  some  others  of  the  same  character.  The 
adventure  and  marvelous  exploits  contained  in  these 
volumes  were  suited  to  fire  his  imagination  and  in 
flame  his  heart.  He  was  thus  introduced  into  a  new 
experience  altogether,  more  perilous  to  him  than  a 
regiment  of  coarse,  brutal  men.  He  made  books 
his  most  intimate  companions,  and  trusted  them  with 
entire  confidence.  He  could  read  deceitful  and  de 
signing  men  around  him,  and  bluff  them  off;  but 
he  took  the  volumes  that  he  read  directly  to  his 
heart,  and  communed  with  them,  as  friend  com 
munes  with  friend. 

Volume  after  volume  of  this  pernicious  reading 
was  devoured,  causing  Mr.  Barton  to  remark  to 
others  of  the  "great  scholar"  in  his  employ.  Barton 
himself  did  not  understand  but  that  the  volumes  in 
his  house  were  as  safe  for  a  boy  to  read  as  the  Bible  ; 
nor  did  he  care  much.  His  daughter  had  purchased 
these  books  from  time  to  time,  and  read  them,  too, 
and  why  should  he,  ignorant  man  that  he  was,  ap 
preciate  the  tendency  of  such  reading?  His  daugh 
ter  was  a  young  woman  grown,  possessing  consid 
erable  native  ability,  but  little  culture,  though  she 
was  the  belle  of  the  town.  She  wrote  poetry  occa 
sionally  for  a  paper  that  had  been  started  in  Cleve 
land,  a  circumstance  that  gave  her  some  notoriety 
among  the  people. 

"  I  see  you  like  reading,"  she  said  to  James  one 


A  BLACK-SALTER.  165 

evening,  when  he  was  rapt  over  one  of  Marryat's 
novels. 

"  There's  nothing  I  like  better.  I  never  read 
books  like  these  before,"  he  answered. 

"  They  are  very  interesting  books,  I  think,"  she 
added. 

"You've  read  them,  have  you?" 

"  Yes ;  I  bought  them,  and  I  have  read  them  all 
more  than  once." 

"  I  think  I  shall  read  them  more  than  once.  I'm 
glad  I  came  here  to  live.  These  long  evenings 
would  be  dull  for  me  without  books." 

"You'd  have  to  go  to  Damon's  with  the  men, 
evenings,  if  you  had  no  books,"  the  young  woman 
suggested.  Damon's  was  the  store  where  the  post- 
office  was  kept ;  and  there  the  male  portion  of  the 
population  were  wont  to  congregate  in  the  evening, 
to  talk  politics,  nonsense,  and  lewdness,  according 
to  circumstances.  It  was  a  motley  crowd,  whose 
appearance  would  have  terrified  Mrs.  Garfield, 
could  she  have  seen  them  ;  and  yet  her  James  was 
in  worse  company,  for  him,  every  evening,  poring 
over  those  fascinating  and  corrupting  books.  He 
did  not  know  his  danger,  and  so  his  danger  was 
greater.  To  the  young  woman's  suggestion,  James 
replied, 

"I  couldn't  go  there." 

"Why? "she  asked. 

"  I  don't  like  that  sort  of  company." 

"  It's  not  very  attractive,  I  think,"  she  conceded. 


l66  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

ff  My  mother  would  be  frightened  to  see  me  in 
such  company." 

If  James  had  only  known,  he  might  have  said,  with 
equal  truth,  perhaps,  that  his  mother  would  be 
frightened  to  see  him  in  the  company  of  such  books. 
But  he  had  no  thoughts  in  that  direction.  He  had 
become  infatuated  over  these  mute,  yet  loquacious, 
companions. 

When  the  family  retired  at  night,  James  would 
take  his  light  and  book  and  go  to  his  room,  but  not 
to  bed.  Twelve  o'clock  often  found  him  reading, 
almost  oblivious  to  the  cold  that  pinched  his  flesh 
and  made  him  shiver.  But  his  young  blood  seemed 
to  be  warmed  by  the  excitement  and  enthusiasm  be 
gotten  by  his  reading. 

One  night  he  retired,  excited  and  wakeful.  As 
he  lay  musing,  he  said,  within  himself: 

"  I  will  see  some  of  the  world  yet.  I  shan't 
always  follow  this  business." 

Then  he  turned  over  to  invite  sleep,  but  was  still 
wakeful. 

"A  black-salter !  "  he  continued.  "It  is  not  the 
sort  of  work  for  me.  Can't  see  much  of  the  world, 
tied  down  here." 

He  turned  over  again,  restless  and  nervous,  but 
sleep  was  chary. 

"  I  should  like  to  be  a  sailor,  and  see  more  of  the 
world ;  go  to  other  countries,  and  see  the  great 
cities  ;  it's  splendid,"  his  mind  said ;  and  he  was 
not  sleepy  at  all. 

"  What's  the  use  of  staying  at  home  always,  and 


A  BLACK-SALTER.  167 

seeing  nothing,  when  the  great  world  is  open.  I 
mean  to  try  it  some  time." 

And  so  he  went  on  discussing  the  matter  within 
himself,  and  reasoning  away  many  of  the  staid  and 
valuable  ideas  that  had  kept  him  a  noble  boy. 

"I  wonder  what  mother  will  say  to  it?  Women 
are  always  afraid,  and  want  to  keep  their  boys  at 
home  all  the  time.  I  'spose  she  will  make  a  terrible 
fuss  about  it ;  but  I  mean  to  see  more  of  the  world, 
somehow." 

Sleep  finally  came  to  his  relief,  and  he  dreamed 
of  ships  bearing  him  over  the  ocean  to  other  lands, 
where  fairy-like  cities  delighted  his  vision  ;  and  other 
enrapturing  scenes,  that  exist  only  in  dreams,  made 
him  thrice  happy.  It  was  quite  evident  now  that  Satan 
was  opening  the  door  of  the  future  wide,  instead  of 
that  Providence  whose  watch  and  care  his  good 
mother  had  invoked. 

He  continued  a  faithful  laborer  to  Mr.  Barton,  at 
tending  to  the  details  of  the  business  with  promptness, 
and  securing  his  love  and  confidence.  Barton 
watched  him  with  pride,  and  once  he  said  to  him : 

"Yer  kin  read,  yer  kin  write,  and  yer  are  death 
on  riggers ;  so  stay  with  me,  keep  my  'counts,  and 
tend  to  the  saltery.  I'll  find  yer,  and  glad  to  give 
j'er  the  fourteen  dollars  a  month." 

"  I  want  to  be  a  sailor,"  replied  James. 

"  A  sailor ! "  exclaimed  Barton,  in  amazement. 
"  Yer  don't  mean  it.  There's  too  much  of  yer  for 
that  bisness.  What's  put  that  idee  into  yer  head?" 

"  I  want  to  see  more  of  the  world  than  I  can  see  in 


1 68  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Ohio/' answered  James.  "It  will  be  dull  business 
to  make  black-salts  all  my  days." 

"We'll,  yer  will  never  go  to  sea  if  yer  take  my 
advice.  Stay  here,  and  some  day  yer'll  have  a 
saltery  of  yer  own." 

"  I  don't  want  one,"  repliedjam.es.  "I'd  rather  have 
something  else." 

"  My  word  for  it,"  continued  Barton  ;  "  yer  are  too 
good  a  boy  to  spile  on  the  seas.  Stay  with  me,  and 
some  day  yer'll  have  a  saltery  as  big  as  o'urn." 

"  I  wouldn't  spend  my  life  in  this  business  for  a 
dozen  salteries  as  big  as  this,"  replied  James. 

Barton  was  exceedingly  afraid  that  he  should  lose 
his  excellent  employ^,  and  so  he  endeavored  to 
make  his  position  agreeable  as  possible.  His  praise, 
too,  was  not  stinted  at  all. 

"Yer  are  a  cute  boy,  good  at  readin',  good  at 
riggers,  good  at  work,  good  at  everything,"  he  would 
say ;  "  stay  with  me,  and  I'll  do  we'el  by  yer." 

James  continued  through  the  winter,  until  April 
opened,  when  the  following  incident  terminated  his 
career  as  a  salter. 

Barton's  daughter  had  a  beau,  and  he  came  to  see 
her  one  night  when  James  was  working  over  some 
difficult  problems  in  arithmetic.  There  was  but  one 
room  below  in  the  farm-house,  and  that  was  a  very 
large  one,  so  the  young  couple  occupied  a  distant 
corner,  James  and  the  "  old  folks  "  sitting  near  the 
fireplace.  James  took  in  the  situation  well  for  a 
boy  of  his  years,  and  designed  to  retire  as  soon  as 
the  girl's  father  and  mother  did ;  but  he  became  so 


A   BLACK-SALTER. 


absorbed  in  his  arithmetic  that  he  did  not  notice  they 
had  left  the  room,  until  the  impatient  girl  startled 
him  by  the  remark, 

"  I  should  think  it  was  time  for  hired  servants  to 
be  abed." 

James'  anger  was  aroused.  He  looked  at  her 
fiercely  for  a  moment,  but  said  nothing.  Then  he 
took  his  candle  and  started  for  his  room,  his  very 
tread  on  the  floor  showing  that  the  invincible  spirit 
within  him  was  thoroughly  stirred.  The  coast  was 
now  clear  for  the  matrimonial  aspirants,  though  at 
quite  a  loss  to  the  establishment,  as  the  sequel  will 
show. 

James  could  not  sleep.  The  sarcastic  girl  had 
knocked  sleep  out  of  him. 

"Hired  servant!"  he  repeated  to  himself,  over 
and  over.  "And  that's  all  I  am  in  this  concern,— 
'a  hired  servant.'  Fll  not  be  a  *  servant'  long,  let 
them  know."  And  he  tried  to  compose  himself, 
and  forget  his  trouble  by  going  to  sleep,  but  in 
vain. 

"  Hired  servant !  "  It  would  not  down  at  his  bid 
ding.  He  kept  repeating  it,  in  spite  of  himself;  and 
the  more  he  repeated  it,  the  more  his  feelings  were 
harrowed. 

'  Hired  servant ! '  I  can  rise  above  that,  I  know, 
and  I  wilL  I'll  not  stay  in  this  place  another  day, 
let  what  will  happen.  I'll  leave  to-morrow.  The 
Irollope  shall  see  whether  I'm  a  ' hired  servant*  or 
not.  /'//  hire  servants  yet." 

Th*  fact  was,  that  unexpected  appellation  proved 


LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


to  James  just  what  the  kick  in  the  stomach,  which 
the  schoolmate  gave  to  Newton,  did.  The  kick 
made  a  scholar  out  of  Newton  ;  the  girl's  remark 
aroused  latent  aspirations  in  James'  heart  to  be  some 
body.  Years  afterwards,  when  James  had  become 
a  man,  and  was  battling  with  the  stern  realities  of 
life,  he  said,  "  That  girl's  cutting  remark  proved  a 
great  blessing  to  me.  I  was  too  much  annoyed 
by  it  to  sleep  that  night  ;  I  lay  awake  under  the  raft 
ers  of  that  old  farm-house,  and  vowed,  again  and 
again,  that  I  'would  be  somebody  ;  that  the  time 
should  come  when  that  girl  would  not  call  me  a 
*  hired  servant?  " 

The  bad  books,  however,  very  nearly  turned  the 
aspirations  awakened  into  the  way  to  ruin  instead  of 
honor. 

James  arose  early  in  the  morning,  dressed  him 
self,  and  tied  up  his  few  possessions  in  a  bundle, 
and  presented  himself  to  Mr.  Barton  for  settlement. 

"I'm  going  to  leave  to-day,"  he  said. 

If  he  had  fired  off  a  pistol  at  his  employer  the 
latter  would  not  have  been  more  astounded. 

"Goin'  ter  leave  !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"Yes  ;  I'm  done  working  at  this  business." 

w  Hi,  Jim,  yer  can't  mean  it." 

"  I  do  mean  it,"  answered  James  ;  and  he  adhered 
to  his  purpose  against  the  entreaties  and  good  prom 
ises  of  his  employer,  and  that,  too,  without  saying  a 
word  to  him  about  the  "  hired  servant."  The  up 
shot  was,  that  Mr.  Barton  paid  him  off,  and  James 
was  at  home  before  noon, 


XT. 

A  WOOD-CHOPPER. 

]OME  for  good,"  said  James  to  his  mother, 
on  entering  the  house.  "Got  enough  of 
saltering." 

"I    am    glad  to  see   you,  James;    but 
what's  the  matter  now?"  his  mother  replied. 
"  Matter  enough.     I've  come  home  to  stay." 
"I'm  glad  of  that." 

"I  can  be  somebody  if  I  try,  instead  of  a  f hired 
servant,'  continued  James,  speaking  the  last  two 
words  contemptuously. 

''What  now?  Have  you  had  any  trouble  with 
Mr.  Barton?" 

"  None  at  all ;  he  is  one  of  the  kindest  men  in  the 
world.     I  shouldn't  want  to  work  for  a  better  man." 
"What,  then,  is  to  pay?"  urged  his  mother,  ear 
nestly. 

James  rehearsed  to  her  the  experience  of  the  pre 
vious  evening,  and  his  determination  to  quit  the  busi 
ness,  together  with  Mr.  Barton's  disappointment  at 
his  leaving,  and  his  entreaties  for  him  to  stay.  Mrs. 

171 


172  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

Garfield  listened  attentively  to  the  recital,  which 
closed  by  his  saying, 

"There  are  fifty-six  dollars  for  you,  mother." 

"You  are  indeed  thoughtful  of  your  mother,  and 
the  money  will  add  many  comforts  to  our  home,"  re 
plied  Mrs.  Garfield;  "but  did  you  not  act  rather 
hastily?" 

"  Hastily  or  not,  I've  acted,  and  that  is  the  end  of 
it,"  replied  James.  "  I  didn't  exactly  want  to  give 
up  the  job,  on  account  of  the  pay,  but  I  have." 

"I  should  think  much  of  Mr.  Barton's  kindness, 
and  his  disappointment,"  suggested  his  mother. 

"And  minded  nothing  about  the  insulting  girl,  I 
?spose?" 

"  I  shouldn't  care  for  her.  I  don't  suppose  she 
meant  any  evil  by  her  remark.  Besides,  it  is  not 
dishonorable  to  be  a  hired  servant,  especially  if  you 
are  a  good  one,"  added  his  mother. 

"That  is  not  the  thing,  mother.  I  don't  think  it 
is  dishonorable  to  be  a  '  hired  servant.'  It  was  the 
girls  insulting  way  of  saying  it,  and  it  stirred  me  up 
to  want  to  be  somebody  in  the  world,  and  I  mean 
to  be." 

"  I  hope  it  will  all  turn  out  for  the  best,  my  son  ; 
and  I  believe  that  Providence  will  overrule  it  for 
good." 

"  I  must  look  out  for  another  job,  now,"  remarked 
James. 

"And  not  stay  at  home?" 

"  No  ;  I  can  earn  more  for  you  away." 


A  WOOD-CHOPPER.  173 

f 

"Well,  as  you  think  best,"  said  his  mother.  "I 
dare  say  you  will  have  a  plenty  of  chances." 

"  I  would  like  to  go  to  sea,  mother,"  added  James, 
hesitatingly. 

If  he  had  struck  his  mother  in  her  face  she  would 
not  have  been  more  shocked. 

"Why  James  !  "  she  exclaimed. 

"  I've  been  thinking  about  it,"  James  continued. 

"Thinking  about  it,  James  !  What  has  got  into 
you?  You  shock  me." 

"I  don't  wish  to  go  against  your  will,  mother," 
James  added. 

"  You  will  go  against  my  will  if  you  ever  go  to 
sea,  James.  Be  a  salter,  or  anything  else,  rather 
than  a  sailor." 

"Why,  mother?" 

"  You  certainly  can  never  be  f  somebody/  as  you 
say,  by  going  to  sea." 

"I  can  be  a  commander  of  a  vessel,  perhaps,  and 
some  day  I  may  own  one  ;  who  knows." 

"  Who  knows  what  you  wouldn't  be,  James,  if  you 
should  become  a  sailor.  Say  no  more  about  such  a 
step  if  you  want  to  make  your  mother  happy." 

The  subject  was  dropped  there,  and  James  pro 
ceeded  to  look  about  the  farm.  For  several  days  he 
busied  himself  in  putting  things  in  order,  awaiting 
work  elsewhere.  At  length  he  heard  that  his  uncle, 
living  at  Newburg,  near  Cleveland,  wanted  to  hire 
wood-choppers.  His  uncle  was  clearing  a  large 
tract  of  forest  near  the  line  of  Independence  town 
ship.  After  conferring  with  his  mother,  and  seeking 


174  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

the  advice  of  his  uncle,  Amos  Boynton,  he  decided 
to  go  to  Newburg.  His  mother  was  quite  willing 
that  he  should  go  there,  because  his  sister  Meheta- 
bel  had  married,  and  was  living  there ;  and  James 
could  board  with  her.  Three  days  after  James  pre 
sented  himself  at  his  uncle's  door  in  Newburg,  mak 
ing  known  his  errand. 

M  Glad  to  see  you,  James,"  was  his  uncle's  cordial 
welcome.  "How*  you  grow!  almost  a  man,  now  I 
Yes,  I've  work  enough  to  be  done  at  chopping,  if 
men  will  only  do  it." 

"I  like  to  chop,"  interrupted  James. 

"A  great  many  don't,"  replied  his  uncle;  "and 
chopping  wood  is  pretty  hard  work,  about  as  hard 
as  any  work  there  is." 

"I  don't  think  so,"  remarked  James.  "I  do  not 
get  so  tired  chopping  as  I  have  been  sometimes 
planing  boards." 

"Well,  let's  see,"  continued  his  uncle  ;  "  how  much 
of  a  job  at  chopping  can  you  undertake?  It's  com 
ing  warm  weather,  and  you  don't  want  to  chop  wood 
when  it  is  too  hot,  do  you?" 

"Perhaps  not;  I  can  chop  two  months,  sure." 

"  Suppose  you  take  a  job  of  one  hundred  cords  to 
cut,  James  ;  how  will  that  do?  " 

w  I  will  agree  to  that.  How  much  will  you  pay 
me  a  cord  ?  " 

"  I  will  pay  you  fifty  cents  a  cord  for  one  hundred 
cords ;  and  the  fifty  dollars  shall  be  ready  for  you 
as  soon  as  the  work  is  done.  How  long  will  you  be 
cutting  it?" 


A    WOOD-CHOPPER. 


175 


"Fifty  days,"  James  quickly  answered. 

"A  little  longer  than  that,  I  reckon,  unless  you 
are  a  mighty  smart  chopper,"  suggested  his  uncle. 
"There's  a  great  difference  in  men,  and  boys  too, 
in  chopping  wood." 

"  I  shall  cut  two  cords  a  day,  right  along,"  said 
James.  "I  can  do  it  easily." 

"That's  pretty  good  chopping  —  better  than  the 
average,  by  considerable,"  replied  his  uncle;  "and 
you  are  larger  and  stronger  than  the  average  of 
choppers,  I  guess." 

The  bargain  was  clinched,  and  James  passed  on 
to  his  sister's,  who  gave  him  a  warm  greeting,  and 
agreed  to  board  him.  So  James  was  once  more 
settled,  and  ready  to  proceed  to  business.  The  next 
morning  he  appeared  in  the  role  of  a  wood-chopper ; 
not  a  new  occupation  to  him. 

It  was  unfortunate  for  James  that  his  work  was  in 
full  view  of  Lake  Erie,  on  whose  blue  bosom  he 
could  see  a  plenty  of  craft  sailing,  at  any  time. 
The  location  seemed  to  conspire  with  the  bad  books 
at  Barton's  to  fan  his  desire  for  a  sea-faring  life  into 
a  name.  In  the  circumstances,  it  was  not  strange 
that  James  did  not  forget  the  books  he  had  read. 
He  often  stopped  in  his  work  to  watch  a  vessel 
gliding  over  the  waves  like  a  swan,  and  sometimes 
he  would  seat  himself  upon  a  log  to  count  the  sails 
appearing  in  the  distance.  It  was  a  rare  spectacle 
to  him,  and  his  young  heart  bounded  with  delight. 
He  cherished  the  secret  thought  that,  some  day,  he 
would  be  sailing  over  that  very  lake. 


176  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

There  were  several  choppers  near  him,  one  of 
them  a  German.  He  was  a  clever  man,  and  spoke 
very  broken  English.  James  thought  he  was  a  slow 
chopper,  and  noticed  that  his  axe  did  not  fly  briskly. 
At  the  end  of  a  week,  however,  he  found  that  the 
German  had  cut  and  corded  two  cords  a  day, — just 
the  amount  he  himself  had  cut. 

"  I  don't  understand  it,"  he  said  to  his  sister,  on 
going  home.  "I  strike  two  blows  to  the  German's 
one,  and  yet  he  has  cut  as  many  cords  as  I  have." 

"  Perhaps  he  strikes  heavier  blows,"  suggested  his 
sister. 

"I  doubt  it,"  replied  James;  "but  I  will  find  out 
the  reason." 

James  was  on  the  alert  to  find  out  the  reason  of 
the  German's  success.  Nor  was  he  left  long  in  the 
dark.  Lake  Erie  had  no  attractions  for  the  Teu 
tonic  chopper,  and  so  he  kept  steadily  at  his  work, 
from  morning  until  night,  while  James  frequently 
stopped  to  watch  the  sails  in  the  distance.  The 
German  did  not  strike  blows  so  rapidly  as  James, 
nor  were  his  blows  more  telling,  but  he  was  steadily 
at  work  from  morning  until  night.  James  compre 
hended  the  whole,  and  it  was  a  good  lesson  to  him. 
He  took  his  first  lesson  of  application  and  perse 
verance  of  the  German  wood-chopper,  and  reduced 
it  to  practice  at  once.  It  rather  cooled  his  fiery 
ardor  for  the  sea.  He  confessed  to  his  sister  that  he 
wasted  some  time  in  watching  sails  on  the  lake.  At 
the  same  time,  he  owned  that  he  had  a  longing  for 
the  sea. 


A    WOOD-CHOPPER. 


"You  surprise  me,  James,"  his  sister  said.  "I 
never  thought  that  of  you.  You  can't  be  in  earnest, 
can  you?" 

"  I  never  was  more  earnest  in  my  life,"  answered 
James,  coolly.  "The  height  of  my  ambition  is  to 
command  a  ship." 

"  Captain  Garfield  I  That  is  the  title  you  want  to 
earn,  is  it?"  remarked  his  sister.  "I  hope  you'll 
never  get  it." 

"You  know  that  was  the  title  of  one  of  our  great 
ancestors,  Captain  Benjamin  Garfield,"  suggested 
James. 

"  But  he  didn't  get  his  title  on  a  ship,  by  any 
means  ;  he  got  it  in  the  Revolutionary  war,"  retorted 
his  sister.  "Anything  but  a  sailor." 

"  I  might  be  something  worse  than  that,"  added 
James. 

"  Not  unless  you  become  a  mean  man,"  quickly 
answered  his  sister. 

"  You  had  rather  I  wrould  get  the  title  by  shooting 
men  in  war,  than  bringing  goods  from  foreign  ports, 
had  you?"  said  James,  in  a  sarcastic  manner. 

"  I  rather  you  would  be  a  wood-chopper  all  your 
days  than  to  be  a  sailor,"  was  his  sister's  prompt 
reply.  "  I  think  mother  would  say  the  same.  You 
have  too  much  talent  to  throw  away  on  the  deck  of 
a  ship." 

James  received  no  encouragement  from  any  quar 

ter  to  becoaie  a  sailor  ;  and  his  aspirations  in  that 

direction  became  somewhat  modified.     He  thought 

less  of  a  sea-faring  life  for  a  time,  and  devoted  him- 

12 


178  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

self  to  wood-chopping  with  commendable  industry. 
Two  cords  a  day  were  cut  and  piled  with  ease.  He 
could  have  cut  two  cords  and  a  half  each  day  with 
out  lengthening  his  days  inordinately.  But  he  had 
fixed  die  limit  when  he  began,  and  James  was  not 
the  boy  to  change  his  purpose. 

His  sister  owned  a  few  books,  and  his  uncle 
more ;  and,  between  them  both,  James  was  quite 
well  provided  with  reading.  A  newspaper,  that  his 
uncle  took,  occupied  his  attention  till  each  number 
was  read  through.  Nor  were  the  books  objection 
able,  like  those  at  Barton's.  Thgy  were  healthy  and 
profitable  volumes  for  such  a  reader  as  James,  who 
preferred  a  book  to  the  society  of  the  young  men  of 
the  town,  who  might  gather  at  any  rendezvous.  His 
reading,  too,  appeared  to  offset  his  growing  desire 
for  the  sea.  Engrossing  his  attention  in  the  subject- 
matter  of  the  books,  excluded,  in  a  measure,  at 
least  for  the  time,  his  hankering  for  a  ship.  His 
evenings  were  wholly  given  up  to  reading,  some 
of  them  extending  considerably  beyond  bed-time. 
,  The  temptation  to  lengthen  his  evenings  for  reading 
he  could  not  resist  so  readily  as  he  oould  the  tempta 
tion  to  lengthen  the  days  for  chopping. 

James  chopped  the  hundred  cords  of  wood  in  fifty 
days,  and  received  his  pay,  according  to  the  con 
tract.  On  paying  him,  his  uncle  said: 

"  I  hope  you  will  not  always  be  a  wood-chopper, 
James,  although  it  is  a  necessary  and  honorable 
business.  But  you  are  competent  to  do  something 


A    WOOD-CHOPPER. 


of  more  consequence.  The  way  may  open  for  you 
to  get  an  education  yet  :  how  would  you  like  that?" 

"  I  should  like  it,"  answered  James,  although  he 
would  have  said,  "  I  want  to  go  to  sea,"  if  he  had 
really  dared  to  risk  it.  But  he  had  good  reason  to 
suppose  that  his  uncle  would  resolutely  rebuke  any 
such  expression.  So  he  desisted.  Nor  did  he  tell 
a  falsehood  by  saying  that  he  would  like  to  acquire 
an  education,  for  his  taste  was  strong  in  that  direc 
tion  ;  but  he  could  discover  no  way  into  that  field  of 
clover. 

Bidding  his  uncle  and  sister  good-by,  James  re 
turned  home,  and  presented  his  mother  with  the  bal 
ance  of  the  fifty  dollars,  after  paying  for  his  board. 
His  mother  was  rejoiced  to  see  her  boy,  wondering 
all  the  while  if  his  desire  for  a  sea-faring  life  sur 
vived.  She  thought  it  not  best,  however,  to  open  a 
subject  that  \vas  so  unpleasant  to  her,  for  fear  it 
might  prove  agreeable  to  him.  Nothing  was  said 
about  the  sea. 

It  was  the  last  week  in  June,  and  James  would 
like  a  job  for  the  summer.  His  uncle  Amos  told 
him  of  a  farmer,  five  or  six  miles  away,  who  wanted 
to  hire  a  man  through  haying  and  harvesting,  about 
four  months.  James  went  immediately  to  see  him, 
bargained  to  work  for  him  from  July  to  November, 
four  months,  and  accordingly  took  up  his  abode  with 
the  man  on  the  first  day  of  July. 

A  stout,  muscular  fellow  like  James  was  supposed 
to  be  an  efficient  hand  in  the  hay-field.  His  em 
ployer  liked  his  appearance,  and  expected  much  of 


r8o  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

him.  Nor  was  he  disappointed.  His  strength  en* 
abled  him  to  swing  a  scythe  and  pitch  hay  with 
power,  though  he  was  a  boy  in  age.  Then  he  pos 
sessed  a  hoy's  pride  in  his  strength,  and  delighted 
to  astonish  his  employer  by  an  exhibition  of  it.  Boy 
like  he  found  great  pleasure  in  keeping  squarely 
up  with  his  employer  in  the  mowing  field,  sometimes 
cutting  his  corners.  His  power  of  endurance  was 
remarkable  ;  and  he  never  appeared  to  tire,  or  "play 
out,"  as  the  boys  say. 

James  found  no  books  here,  or  none  worth  men 
tioning.  The  people  cared  little  about  reading, 
though  they  were  people  of  character.  But  farming 
was  their  business,  and  they  worked  early  and  late. 
When  the  day's  work  was  done,  they  went  to  bed, 
and,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  they  were  up 
and  ready  for  another  day's  work.  Thus  it  was 
through  the  whole*  busy  season  of  the  year.  James 
kept  abreast  of  them.  "If  I  can't  do  what  other 
folks  can,  "I'll  quit,"  he  said  to  himself  more  than 
once. 

Nothing  unusual  occurred  during  the  four  months, 
excepting  only  two  incidents,  which  we  will  narrate. 

James  was  digging  potatoes  in  October,  and  put 
ting  them  into  the  cellar.  On  going  to  the  house 
with  a  load  one  day,  he  found  a  neighbor  discussing 
the  subject  of  baptism  with  his  employer's  daughter. 

"Sprinkling  is  baptism,"  James  heard  him  say. 
"  Immersion  is  no  more.  A  drop  01  water  is  as  good 
as  a  fountain." 

"  Sprinkling  is  not  baptism.  ^cording  to  Alexan- 


A    WOOD-CHOPPER. 


der  Campbell,"  replied  the  young  woman  ;  "  and  I 
don't  see  how  it  can  be." 

"  I  said,  according  to  the  Bible.  I  don't  care  a  fig 
for  Alexander  Campbell,"  the  neighbor  rejoined. 

"  That  makes  your  position  harder  to  support," 
interrupted  James,  with  the  design  of  affording  relief 
to  the  farmer's  daughter,  whom  he  very  much  re 
spected. 

"What  do  you  know  about  it?"  exclaimed  the 
neighbor,  somewhat  annoyed  at  the  boy's  interrup 
tion.  "You  know  more  about  potatoes  than  the 
Scripters,  according  to  my  idee." 

"You  can't  prove  that  sprinkling  is  baptism,  from 
the  Bible,"  added  James. 

"That's  all  you  know  about  it,"  retorted  the  man. 

"See  here,"  continued  James,  thinking  he  would 
surprise  the  disputant  by  his  familiarity  with  the 
Scriptures;  "how  do  you  get  along  with  this?" 
And  he  proceeded  to  quote  from  Hebrews  :  "  Let 
us  draw  near  with  a  true  heart,  in  full  assurance  of 
faith,  having  our  hearts  sprinkled  from  an  evil  con 
science." 

"There,  you  see  it  says  *  sprinkled,'"  interrupted 
the  neighbor,  quite  elated. 

"But,  hold  on!"  replied  James;  "wait,  and  hear 
the  rest  of  it.  You  are  in  too  big  a  hurry."  And 
James  repeated  the  remainder  of  the  text  :  "  and  our 
bodies  washed  with  pure  water."  He  laid  stress  on 
the  word  "washed,"  adding: 

"  Now  tell  me,  if  you  can,  how  you  can  wash  your 
body  in  a  drop  of  water." 


l82  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Without  waiting  for  a  reply,  he  hurried  away  to 
the  potato-patch. 

The  other  incident  relates  to  his  desire  to  go  to 
sea.  He  concluded  to  sound  his  employer  one  day, 
and  he  said : 

"  What  do  you  think  about  my  goin'  to  sea?" 

"Goin'  to  see  what?"  answered  the  farmer. 

K  To  ship,  and  be  a  sailor,"  answered  James. 

"  Likely  story  that  you  would  undertake  that 
business." 

"I'm  thinking  of  it." 

"I  guess  you'll  take  it  out  in  thinking.'* 

"  Honest,  though,  I'm  not  joking.  I  want  to  com 
mand  a  ship." 

w  Well,  if  you  was  my  boy,"  retorted  the  farmer, 
w  I  should  command  you  to  shut  up.  It's  the  last 
place  for  you  to  go.  Better  dig  potatoes  all  your 
days." 

"  I  will  shut  up,"  repeated  James,  quite  amused  at 
the  farmer's  decided  way  of  opposing  a  sea-faring 
life.  He  did  not  mention  the  subject  again. 

James  completed  his  four  months'  labor  with  the 
farmer,  for  which  he  received  twelve  dollars  a 
month, —  forty-eight  dollars  in  all,  —  with  the  farm 
er's  laconic  endorsement, 

"You've  done  well." 


xn. 

A  CANAL  BOY. 

[AMES  was  restive  and  dissatisfied  when 
he  returned  home.  His  mother  saw  that 
he  was  uneasy,  and  she  feared  that  he 
was  thinking  about  the  sea.  Nor  was 
she  mistaken  in  her  apprehensions,  although  she  re 
mained  silent  on  the  subject.  Thus  matters  con 
tinued  through  the  winter ;  James  attending  school, 
and  looking  after  the  place.  In  the  spring  he 
worked  at  odd  jobs  in  the  town,  until  the  farm  de 
manded  his  attention.  It  was  evident,  however, 
that  his  heart  was  not  in  his  work.  His  thoughts 
were  on  the  sea.  At  last  he  seemed  to  reach  a  point 
where  he  could  restrain  his  desires  no  longer.  It  was 
about  the  first  of  July.  He  said  to  his  mother  : 

"  Mother,  you  don't  know  how  I  long  for  the  sea. 
Why  cannot  I  look  after  a  place  on  a  ship?" 

"Where    do  you  want   to  ship    to,  James?"  his 
mother  replied. 

This  answer  was  unexpected.     James  anticipated 
a  direct  refusal,  but  the  answer  indicated  a  change 

183 


184  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

of  feeling  in  his  mother,  he  thought ;  and  it  encour 
aged  him  to  proceed.  There  was  really  no  change 
in  his  mother's  feelings,  but  she  was  a  sagacious 
woman,  and  there  was  a  change  in  her  tactics. 

v  I'm  not  particular  where  ;  I  want  to  see  some 
thing  of  the  world,"  was  James'  answer. 

"  It's  rather  queer  for  a  boy  of  your  ability  not  to 
know  where  he  wants  to  go,"  said  his  mother.  "  If 
I  wanted  to  go  somewhere  I  would  find  out  where 
in  the  first  place.  You  don't  care  whether  you  go 
to  Europe,  Asia,  or  Africa  !  " 

"  Not  exactly  that,"  replied  James  ;  "  I  would  like 
to  cross  the  Atlantic." 

"And  be  sick  enough  of  it  before  you  got  half 
across,"  remarked  Mrs.  Garfield.  "  Boys  don't 
know  what  they  want." 

"/  know  what  /want,"  retorted  James  ;  "  and  that 
is  what  I  am  trying  to  tell  you.  I  want  to  try  life 
on  the  ocean.  If  I  don't  like  it,  I'll  give  it  up." 

"  That's  not  so  easy.  You  get  out  to  the  Mediter 
ranean,  or  to  China,  and  it  will  not  be  very  easy  to 
give  it  up  and  come  home.  You  will  wish  that  you 
had  taken  your  mother's  advice."  His  mother  said 
this  with  much  feeling. 

o 

"  I  shall  never  know  till  I  try, "James  continued. 
"  But  I  will  never  go  to  sea,  or  anywhere  else,  un 
less  you  consent." 

"  Suppose  you  try  a  trip  in  a  schooner  on  Lake 
Erie  first,  and  see  how  you  like  it,"  suggested  his 
mother.  "  Perhaps  you  won't  like  it.  You  will  not 
be  far  from  home  then." 


A    CANAL  BOY. 


"  Are  you  willing  that  I  should  do  that?"  inquired 
James,  brightening  up  at  the  prospect. 

"I  much  rather  you  would  do  that  than  to  cross 
the  Atlantic,  and  I  would  give  my  consent  to  that," 
his  mother  answered,  with  reluctance. 

"  It  is  settled,  then,"  replied  James.  ."  I  shall. start 
for  Lake  Erie  as' soon  as  I  can  get  ready." 

Mrs.  Garfield's  tactics  prevailed.  She  had  given 
much  thought  to  the,  subject,  and  had  reluctantly 
concluded  that,  if  worse  came  to  worse,  she  would 
compromise  with  the  boy,  and  allow  him  to  ship  on 
Lake  Erie.  She  feared  that  his  desire  to  become  a 
sailor  would  prove  incontrollable,  and  that  he  would 
eventually  go  to  sea,  any  way.  Perhaps,  by  allow 
ing  him  to  try  life  on  shipboard,  in  a  smaller  way,  and 
so  near  home  as  the  familiar  lake,  would  result  in  his 
abandoning  the  idea  of  a  "  life  on  the  ocean-wave  " 
altogether. 

James-  prepared  for  his  departure  as  soon  as  pos 
sible  ;  .and  taking  what  money  was  necessary,  with 
his  inevitable  bundle,  he  returned  his  mother's  kiss, 
but  not  her  tears,  and  started  for  Cleveland,  where 
he  expected  to  ship.  He  walked  the  whole  distance, 
•seventeen  miles,  and  was  in  sight  of  the  tempting 
'  sails  at  twrelve  o'clock,  noon. 

He  proceeded  directly  to  the  wharf,  and  boarded 
the  first  schooner  he  found. 

"Chance  for  another  hand  on  board?"  he  inquired 
of  one  of  the  crew. 

The  sailor  addressed  answered,  "  The  captain  wifl 
soon  come  up  from  the  hold*" 


186  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

So  James  waited,  expecting  soon  to  stand  in  the 
presence  of  a  stout,  gentlemanly,  noble-looking  man, 
just  such  a  captain  as  he  had  read  of  in  books.  He 
did  not  wait  long  before  the  sailor,  whom  he  had  ad 
dressed,  remarked  : 

"  The  captain  is  coming." 

James  heard  a  tremendous  noise  below,  as  if  there 
was  trouble  of  some  kind  ;  and  then  he  heard  a  hu 
man  voice  belching  out  most  horrible  oaths  at  some 
body,  or  something,  as  if  the  captain  of  the  infernal 
regions  was  approaching.  He  scarcely  knew  what 
to  make  of  it.  But,  while  he  stood  wondering,  the 
captain  appeared, —  a  drunken,  beastly,  angry  fellow, 
—  a  whisky-barrel  on  legs,  his  mouth  its  bung-hole, 
pouring  out  the  vilest  stuff  possible.  James  had 
seen  some  hard  customers  before,  but  if  the  pit  could 
send  up  a  more  horrible  sample  of  humanity  from  its 
"  hold,"  he  did  not  wish  to  meet  him.  James  looked 
at  the  creature  a  moment,  and  the  disgusting  crea 
ture  looked  at  him,  when  he  ventured  to  approach 
him,  saying,  in  a  gentlemanly  way: 

"Captain?" 

"  Yes  ;  what  in  h —  do  you  want?" 

"  Do  you  want  to  hire  another  hand  for  your 
schooner?" 

"  What  if  I  do,  you  green  land-lubber?  "  exclaimed 
the  captain,  with  another  torrent  of  oaths.  "  Get  off 
this  schooner  in  double-quick,  or  I'll  throw  you  into 
the  dock,  you  impudent  son  of  a ." 

James  attempted  to  excuse  himself  in  a  polite  way, 
but  the  infuriated  wretch  only  cursed  and  raved  the 


A    CANAL  BOY.  187 


more,  swinging  his  fists  in  the  most  threatening 
manner. 

"  Get  out,  I  say,  or  I'll  be  the  death  of  you.  'Spose 
I'd  hire  such  a  lubber  and  greenhorn  to  run  my 
schooner ! "  And  the  blackest  oaths  continued  to 
roll  out  of  his  mouth. 

The  last  sound  of  that  terrible  voice  that  lingered 
on  James'  ear,  as  he  hurried  from  the  craft,  was  that 
of  profanity.  Such  a  repulse  he  never  dreamed  of. 
He  scarcely  thought  such  a  scene  possible  any 
where.  He  had  read  of  sailors  and  captains,  but  he 
had  never  read  of  such  a  captain  as  that.  He  be 
gan  to  think  that  books  are  not  always  reliable.  It 
was  the  first  time  he  had  ever  stopped  to  think  that 
men  are  not  always  what  they  are  represented  to  be 
in  books.  The  experience  was  a  damper  to  his  sea 
faring  propensity.  In  this  respect,  it  was  a  good 
thing  for  the  boy.  As  it  turned  out,  the  drunken 
captain  prevented  him  from  becoming  a  sailor.  It 
was  a  rather  rough  way  of  being  turned  aside  from 
a  purpose,  but  the  roughest  usage  sometimes  leads 
to  the  best  results. 

James  sat  down  on  a  pile  of  wood  to  muse  on  the 
ways  of  the  world,  and  to  eat  a  lunch  which  he  put 
into  his  pocket  on  leaving  home.  He  could  not  un 
derstand  the  philosophy  of  such  a  course  as  the  cap 
tain  pursued.  He  did  nothing  to  provoke  him. 
"He,"  he  thought,  "was  provoked  before  I  saw 
him,  for  I  heard  his  fearful  oaths."  He  concluded, 
finally,  that  he  did  appear  rather  green  and  rough 
to  the  captain,  for  his  clothes  were  countrified  and 


188  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

worn  ;  and  perhaps  he  did  not  know  exactly  how  to 
present  himself  to  a  sea  captain,  salter,  wood-chop 
per,  and  farmer  as  he  was.  The  more  he  pondered 
the  more  he  found  an  excuse  for  the  captain,  and 
the  less  disposed  he  was  to  relinquish  his  purpose  to 
be  a  sailor. 

He  ceased  to  muse,  and  walked  along  the  wharf, 
perhaps  not  exactly  satisfied  what  to  do  next.  He 
was  soon  startled,  however,  by  a  voice, 

"Jim!     Jim!" 

James  turned  about ;  the  voice  came  from  a  canal 
boat. 

"  Halloo,  Jim  !     How  came  you  here?  " 

It  was  Amos  Letcher,  his  cousin,  who  called  to 
him  from  the  canal  boat. 

"You  here,  Amos?"  exclaimed  James;  and  he 
was  on  board  the  boat  in  a  hurry,  shaking  hands 
with  his  old  friend  and  relative, - 

"How  came  you  here? "  inquired  Amos.  "The 
last  I  knew  of  you  you  was  chopping  wood.  " 

"  I  came  over  to  see  if  I  could  find  a  chance  to 
ship  on  the  Lake,"  replied  James, 

"What  luck?" 

"Not  much,  yet." 

"Seen  anybody?" 

Finally  James  rehearsed  his  experience  on  the 
schooner,  to  which  Amos  listened  with  a  kind  of 
comical  interest. 

"  Hot  reception,"  remarked  Amos,  after  listening 
to  the  recital.  "Some  of  the  captains  are  hard  cus 
tomers,  I  tell  you," 


A    CANAL   BOY. 


"Hard!"  repeated  James;  "that  is  no  name  for 
that  fellow.  I  'spose  he  is  human ;  he  looks  like  a 
man,  but  he  is  more  of  a  demon." 

"  You  wouldn't  like  to  ship  with  such  a  brute,  would 
you?"  Amos  inquired. 

"  No  ;  I'd  rather  chop  wood." 

"  How  would  you  like  a  canal  boat?" 

"I  don't  know ;  would  it  help  me  to  get  a  place  on 
a  ship?" 

"It  might,  some." 

"Another  hand  wanted  on  this  boat?"  James 
asked. 

"  Yes,  we  want  another  driver." 

"Where's  the  captain?  " 

"/  am  captain." 

"You  captain,  Amos?"  replied  James,  with  much 
surprise. 

"Yes,  I  am  captain;  and  I  should  be  right  glad 
to  hire  you." 

"Driver!  that  is,  I  drive  the  horses?"  added 
James,  inquiringly. 

"  That  is  iust  it ,  not  so  hard  as  chopping  wood." 

"Where  do  you  go  to?" 

"To  Pittsburgh 

"  What  do  you  carry?" 

"Copper  ore." 

"I  think  I  will  engage,  Captain  Letcher,  con 
tinued  James,  repeating  the  title  of  his  cousin,  to  see 
how  it  sounded.  "  How  much  will  you  pay  me?  " 

"Twelve  dollars  a  month;  that  is  what  we  pay 
drivers." 


190  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  I'll  take  the  position,  Captain  Letcher,  and  do 
the  best  I  can." 

"And  I  shan't  ask  you  to  do  any  better  than  that," 
said  Amos,  as  facetiously  as  James  had  repeated  his 
title. 

"  We  start  to-morrow  morning,"  added  the  captain. 
"  You  will  not  lose  much  time." 

"  So  much  the  better,"  answered  James,  thinking 
himself  quite  fortunate  on  the  whole. 

The  canal  at  that  time  was  a  great  thoroughfare 
between  Lake  Erie  and  the  Ohio  River.  Copper 
mining  was  carried  on  extensively  on  Lake  Superior, 
and  the  ore  was  brought  down  to  Cleveland  in 
schooners,  and  from  thence  was  taken  to  Pittsburgh 
by  canal.  The  name  of  the  canal  boat  commanded 
by  Captain  Letcher  was  "  Evening  Star,"  and  its  ca 
pacity  was  seventy  tons.  It  was  manned  with  two 
steersmen,  two  drivers,  a  bowman,  and  a  cook,  be 
sides  the  captain, —  seven  men  in  all.  The  bowman's 
business  was  to  make  the  locks  ready,  and  to  stop 
the  boat  as  it  entered  the  lock,  by  throwing  the 
bowline,  that  was  attached  to  the  bow  of  the  boat, 
around  the  snubbing  post.  The  drivers  were  fur 
nished  with  two  mules  each,  which  were  driven  one 
before  the  other ;  one  driver  with  his  mules  serving 
a  given  number  of  hours,  then  giving  place  to  the 
other,  and  going  on  board  with  his  mules. 

Boatmen,  as  a  class,  were  rough  fellows  then. 
"  Profane,  coarse,  vulgar,  whisky-drinkers,"  de 
scribes  them  exactly.  Rum  and  tobacco  were 
among  their  necessaries  of  life,  about  as  much  so  as 


A    CANAL  BOY. 


191 


bread  or  meat.  They  cared  nothing  for  morals  and 
religion,  and  often  made  them  the  butt  of  ridicule. 
The  best  fellow  was  the  one  who  could  drink  the 
most  whisky,  and  sing  the  worst  songs.  Of  course 
such  fellows  were  no  company  for  James.  The 
contrast  between  him  and  one  of  this  class  was  very 
marked.  It  was  a  new  and  hard  school  for  him. 

At  sunrise,  on  the  following  morning,  James  took 
his  turn  at  mule-driving,  the  captain  starting  him 
off  well  by  some  instructions.  The  boat  was  to 
pass  through  the  first  lock  before  James  hitched  on. 
This  done,  and  James  stepped  directly  into  the  rank 
of  mule-driver.  It  was  going  to  sea  on  a  small 
scale,  and  so  there  was  some  fascination  about  it. 
And  yet  he  was  on  the  tow-path  instead  of  the 
water,  except  when  he  tumbled  in.  Within  an  hour 
James  heard  the  captain, 

"  Hi,  Jim  !     Boat  comin'.     Steady." 

James  knew  it  as  well  as  the  captain,  and  de 
signed  to  pass  the  boat  with  signal  success.  But 
somehow,  be  could  scarcely  tell  how,  the  two  driv 
ers  got  their  lines  tangled,  interrupting  the  progress 
of  the  mules.  The  lines  were  soon  separated,  but 
the  impetus  of  Captain  Letcher's  boat,  in  the  delay, 
pushed  it  up  square  with  the  horses,  when  the 
steersman  called  out, 

"Hurrah,  Jim,  whip  up  that  team,  or  your  line 
will  ketch  on  the  bridge."  There  was  a  waste-way 
just  ahead. 

"Ay  !  "  James  answered,  as  he  whipped  the  mules 
into  a  trot. 


192  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Steady,  steady  !  "  called  the  captain,  fearing  that 
James  was  rushing  into  trouble  by  too  much  speed. 
The  caution  was  too  late,  however.  Just  as  the 
team .  reached  the  middle  of  the  bridge  the  lines 
tightened,  and  jerked  driver  and  mules  into  the 
canal. 

"Quick!  help  !"  shouted  the  captain,  and  every 
man  ran  to  their  rescue. 

"  Hold  on,  Jim  !  "  cried  the  bowman,  meaning  that 
James  should  understand  deliverance  was  at  hand. 
James  was  holding  on  as  well  as  he  could,  with  two 
stupid  mules  to  manage  in  the  water.  For  some 
minutes  it  was  difficult  to  tell  how  the  affair  would 
terminate,  for  there  was  serious  danger  that  mules 
and  driver  would  go  to  the  bottom  together.  But  it 
had  always  been  James'  good  fortune  to  come  to 
the  top.  So  he  did  here  ;  and  he  was  soon  astride 
the  leading  mule,  urging  him  out  of  the  difficulty. 
A  few  minutes  only  elapsed  before  all  were  rescued, 
with  no  injury  except  a  good  ducking. 

During  the  process  of  rescuing  the  unfortunate 
victims  of  the  accident,  there  was  no  jesting  or  light 
remarks,  but  one  serious,  earnest  effort  to  save  the 
mules,  and  to  rescue  James.  But  no  sooner  were 
the  sufferers  safe  on  the  tow-path  than  a  general 
laughter  and  merry  time  over  the  mishap  ensued. 

"Yer  a  good  Baptist  now,  Jum,"  exclaimed  one 
of  the  steersmen,  terminating  his  explosive  laughter. 

"Yer  see  how  we 'nitiate  greenhorns  into  canal 
bisniss,"  said  another  of  the  men. 


A   CANAL  BOY. 


193 


"  I  kind  o'  thought  yer  was  a  gonner  at  first,"  added 
a  third. 

Finally,  the  captain  said,  jocosely,  "Jim,  what 
was  you  doin'  down  there  in  the  canal?" 

"  Takin'  my  mornin'  bath,"  answered  James. 
"RefreshinV 

"Washin'  the  mules,  I  reckon'd,"  chimed  in  one 
of  the  men. 

"All  ready,  now  !  "  shouted  the  captain  ;  "Jim  has 
washed  himself,  and  is  now  ready  to  proceed  to  bis- 
ness.  All  aboard  !  "  And  they  were  off  in  a  jiffy. 

The  bantering  did  not  cease  with  that  day.  Many 
a  hearty  laugh  was  enjoyed  over  it  for  several  days, 
and  James  was  the  subject  of  many  jocose  remarks ; 
all  of  which  served  to  keep  the  crew  in  good  humor. 

James  enjoyed  it  as  well  as  the  rest  of  them. 

At  "Eleven-  Mile  Lock,"  the  captain  ordered  a 
change  of  teams.  James  went  on  board  with  his 
mules,  and  the  other  driver  took  the  tow-path  with 
,his  fresh  mules. 

"  Coin'  to  take  the  mules  into  yer  bunk  with  yer, 
as  yer  did  in  a-swimmin'?"  remarked  one  of  the 
hands. 

"  Put  up  your  team,  Jim,  and  then  come  on  deck," 
said  the  captain,  addressing  James ;  "  I  want  to  see 
you." 

James  took  good  care  of  his  mules,  and  went  on 
deck. 

"Jim,  I  hear  there  is  some  come-out  to  you,  and 
if  you  have  no  objections  I  would  like  to  make  up 
my  own  mind  in  regard  to  it.  It  is  a  long  ways  to 


1 94  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Pancake  Lock,  and  this  will  be  a  good  time ;  so  I 
should  like  to  ask  you  a  few  questions." 

"Proceed,"  answered  James;  "but  be  sure  and 
not  ask  too  hard  ones." 

"You  see,  I've  kept  school  some  in  the  backwoods 
of  Steuben  County,  Indiana,"  added  the  captain. 

"Schoolmaster  and  Captain,"  repeated  James, 
"  Honor  enough  for  one  family.  What  did  you 
teach?" 

"  Redin',  writin',  spellin',  gography,  'rithmetic, 
.  and  grammer." 

"Go  ahead,  then,"  continued  James,  "and  exam 
ine  me  in  these  branches.  I'll  answer  the  best  I 
know." 

The  captain  proceeded  with  his  questions,  first  in 
arithmetic,  then  in  geography  and  grammar,  and 
James  answered  every  question  promptly. 

"You  are  a  trump,  Jim;  I've  heard  a  good  deal 
about  your  talents,  and  I  wanted  to  see  whether  it 
was  so,  or  not.  You'll  not  shame  your  relations ; 
I'll  own  ye  for  cousin,"  remarked  the  captain,  dis 
continuing  his  questions. 

"  Now,  s'pose  I  put  a  few  questions  to  you,"  said 
James ;  "  it's  a  poor  rule  that  won't  work  both 
ways." 

"  As  many  as  you  choose,"  answered  the  captain. 

The  captain  could  not  answer  the  first  question 
that  James  put,  nor  the  second,  nor  third;  nor,  in 
deed,  any  of  them.  James  had  studied  all  the 
branches  named  far  more  thoroughly  than  the  cap- 


A   CANAL  BOY.  195 

tain,  so  that  "  hard  questions  "  were  at  his  command. 
He  intended  to  confound  the  captain,  and  he  did. 

"If  you'll  let  me  alone,  I'll  let  you  alone,"  re- 
marked'the  captain,  after  several  ineffectual  attempts 
to  answer  James'  question. 

The  captain  did  not  know  so  much  as  he  thought 
he  did.  Because  he  had  taught  school  in  Indiana, 
and  studied  arithmetic,  grammar,  and  geography, 
he  thought  he  was  superior  even  to  James,  of  whom 
he  had  heard  large  stories.-  A  few  years  ago  he 
spoke  of  the  matter  to  a  friend,  and  said,  "I  was 
just  green  enough  in  those  days  to  think  that  I 
knew  it  all.  You  see,  I  had  been  teacher  for  three 
years  in  the  backwoods  of  Steuben  County,  Indi 
ana."  That  over-estimate  of  himself  put  him  into  an 
awkward  position  before  James.  At  the  close  of 
the  interview,  the  captain  said,  seriously, 

"Jim,  you've  too  good  a  head  on  you  to  be  a  wood- 
chopper,  or  a  canal-driver." 

"  Do  you  really  think  so?  "  asked  James. 

"Yes,  I  do,  honest." 

"What  wrould  you  have  me  do?" 

"Teach  school.  Go  to  school  one  or  two  terms, 
and  then  you  will  be  qualified  to  teach  a  common 
school ;  and  after  that  you  can  make  anything  you 
have  a  mind  to  out  of  yourself." 

"That  is  more  easily  said  than  done,"  answered 
James.  "What  do  you  think  of  my  goin'  to  sea." 

"I  don't  think  much  of  it,  to  tell  you  the  truth, 
Jim.  It's  a  terrible  hard,  rough  life,  and  it's  a  pity 


ig6  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

to  throw  away  your  talents  on  the  deck  of  a  ship. 
Never  do  any  such  thing,  Jim.  That's  my  advice." 

"  But  I  don't  intend  to  serve  all  my  days,  if  I  be 
come  a  sailor,"  said  James  ;  "  I  intend  to  command" 

"  Command  or  serve,  it  will  be  all  the  same  to 
you,  Jim.  You  will  be  greater  than  the  business, 
any  way,  and  that's  unfortunate  for  any  one.  It 
won't  help  the  matter  any  to  be  called  Captain  Gar- 
field." 

"You  don't  know  what  a  longing  I  have  for  life  on 
the  ocean,"  added  James.  "For  ever  so  long  I 
have  been  thinking  of  the  matter  ;  but  mother  never 
gave  her  consent  till  lately,  and  then,  only  to  ship 
on  Lake  Erie." 

"  There's  where  your  mother  is  right.  She  knows 
your  abilities,  and  wants  you  should  follow  what 
your  abilities  fit  you  to  become.  I  shouldn't  think 
she  would  ever  consent  to  such  a  wild  project  as 
your  goin'  to  sea.  To  be  a  sailor,  when  you  might 
be  a  teacher  or  governor,  is  the  most  foolish  thing  in 
the  world." 

"Now,  captain,"  replied  James,  as  if  doubting  his 
sincerity,  "  do  you  really  think  that  my  talents 
promise  any  such  result  as  that?" 

"  Certainly  I  do ;  I  shouldn't  say  it  if  I  didn't 
think  so.  I  would  go  to  school  in  the  autumn,  and 
teach  school  next  winter,  if  I  were  in  your  place. 
You'll  earn  money  enough  this  summer,  nearly,  to 
pay  your  way." 

The  conversation  ceased  ;  but  James'  thoughts  raa 
on.  He  began  to  wonder  whether  he  was  such  a 


A   CANAL  BOY. 


I97 


fool  as  would  appear  from  the  captain's  remarks.  It 
was  quite  evident  that  Captain  Letcher  had  set  him 
to  thinking  in  the  right  direction.  If  he  did  possess 
talents  for  some  high  position,  he  was  a  fool,  surely 
to  throw  them  away  for  nothing.  He  began  to  see 
it  in  that  light.  What  his  cousin  had  said  tallied 
very  well  with  what  several  other  people  had  told 
him,  and  he  began  to  think  that  all  of  them  could 
not  be  wrong.  "  In  the  mouth  of  two  or  three  wit 
nesses,  every  word  shall  be  established." 


XIII. 
TRIUMPHS  ON  THE  TOW-PATH. 

[HE  boat  was  nearing  the  twenty-one  locks 
of  Akron. 

"Make  the  first  lock  ready,"  cried  the 
captain  to  his  bowman.    It  was  ten  o'clock 
at  night. 

"  Ay  ! "  answered  the  bowman,  promptly. 

As  the  bowman  approached  the  lock,  a  voice  came 
through  the  darkness  from  the  bowman  of  another 
boat, 

w  Don't  turn  this  lock  ;  our  boat  is  just  around  the 
bend,  ready  to  enter." 

"  I  -will  turn  it ;  we  got  here  first,"  answered  the 
bow*man  of  the  "  Evening  Star,"  with  an  oath  that 
seemed  blacker  in  the  absence  of  the  sun. 

"  You  won't  turn  it  unless  you  are  stronger  than  we 
are$"  shouted  bow  man  number  one,  adding  sufficient 
profanity  to  match  the  vocabulary  of  the  other. 

A  fight  was  imminent,  as  all  hands  on  board  saw, 
and  they  rallied  for  the  fracas.  Such  scenes  were 
common  on  the  canal.  The  boat  whose  bowman 

198 


TRIUMPHS  ON  THE   TOW-PATH. 

reached  the  lock  first  was  entitled  to  enter  first,  but 
when  two  bowmen  reached  the  lock  about  the  same 
time  a  dispute  was  about  sure  to  arise,  the  result  of 
which  was  a  hand-to-hand  fight  between  the  two 
crews.  The  boat's  crew  that  came  to  the  top  of  the 
pile  won  the  lock.  Captains  were  usually  powerless 
to  prevent  these  contests,  however  well  disposed  they 
might  be. 

Captain  Letcher's  bowman  commenced  turning  the 
gate  just  as  the  two  boats  came  up  so  near  that  their 
head-lights  shed  the  brightness  of  day  on  the  excit 
ing  scene. 

"  Say,  bowman,"  called  Captain  Letcher,  motion 
ing  with  his  hand  for  attention.  His  bowman  looked 
up  in  response. 

w  Was  you  here  first?  "  Evidently  the  captain  ques 
tioned  his  right  to  the  lock. 

"It's  hard  to  tell,  replied  the  bowman  ;  w but  we're 
goin'  to  have  the  lock,  anyhow ; "  and  the  ring  ol 
his  voice  showed  determination  and  fight. 

w  All  right ;  just  as  you  say,"  answered  the  cap 
tain,  supposing  that  no  interference  of  his  could  pre 
vent  an  encounter. 

The  men  stood  panting  for  the  fray,  like 'war- 
horses.  They  seemed  to  be  in  just  the  right  mood 
for  a  contest.  It  was  a  new  scene  to  James,  and  he 
stood  wondering,  with  the  loud  oaths  bandied  falling 
on  his  ear.  After  having  restrained  himself  as  long 
as  he  could,  he  tapped  the  captain  on  his  shoulder, 
saying, 

"See  here,  captain,  does  that  lock  belong  to  us?* 


200  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  I  really  suppose,  according  to  law,  it  does 
not ;  but  we'll  have  it,  anyhow,"  was  the  captain's 
reply. 

"  No,  we  will  not,"  answered  James,  with  a  good 
deal  of  determination. 

"Why  not?"  asked  the  captain,  very  much  sur 
prised  at  the  boy's  interference. 

"  Because  it  does  not  belong  to  us." 

"That's  so,"  the  captain  replied,  seeing  at  once 
that  James  was  right. 

Probably  the  captain  had  never  stopped  to  think 
whether  the  custom  of  fighting  for  a  lock  was  right 
or  not.  But  the  suggestion  of  James  seemed  to  act 
as  an  inspiration  on  him,  and  he  called  out  to  his 
bowman, 

"Hold  on!  hold  on,  boys  I" 

The  men  looked  up  in  surprise,  as  if  wondering 
what  had  happened.  One  minute  more,  and  some 
hard  knocks  would  have  been  given. 

"Hold  on  I  "  repeated  the  captain,- in  the  loudest 
tone  of  authority  that  he  could  command.  "LET 

THEM    HAVE    THE    LOCK." 

The  order  was  obeyed;  the  free  fight  was  pre 
vented  ;  the  other  boat  entered  the  lock ;  "  peace, 
reigned  in  Warsaw."  James  commanded  the  situa 
tion.  His  principles  prevailed. 

The  boat  was  all  night  getting  through  the  twenty- 
one  locks,  but  at  sunrise  was  on  Lake  Summit, 
moving  forward  under  as  bright  a  day-dawning  as 
ever  silvered  the  waters.  The  mules  were  moving 
on  a  slow  trot,  under  the  crack  of  the  driver's  whip, 


TRIUMPHS  ON  THE   TOW-PATH.  2OT 

and  everything  was  hopeful.  Breakfast  was  called. 
George  Lee,  the  steersman,  came  out  and  sat  down 
to  the  table,  and  the  first  word  he  spoke  was, 

"Jim,  what's  the  matter  with  ye?" 

"  Nothing ;  I  never  felt  better  in  my  life,"  replied 
James. 

"  What  did  you  give  up  the  lock  for  last  night?  " 

"  Because  it  didn't  belong  to  us." 

"Jim,"  continued  Lee,  in  a  tone  of  bitterness,  ac 
companied  with  his  usual  profanity,  "yer  are  a  cow 
ard;  yer  aint  fit  to  be  a  boatman.  Yer  may  do  to 
chop  wood  or  milk  cows,  but  a  man  or  a  boy  isn't  fit 
for  a  boat  who  won't  fight  for  his  rights." 

James  only  smiled  at  his  fellow-boatman,  and  went 
on  with  his  bi  eakfast,  making  no  reply.  The  cap 
tain  heard  the  remarks,  and  admired  the  more  the 
courage,  coolness,  and  principle  of  his  boy-driver. 
He  saw  that  there  was  a  magnanimous  soul  under 
that  dirty  shirt,  and  he  enjoyed  the  evidence  of  its 
reign. 

Vhe  boat  reached  Beaver,  and  a  steamer  was  about 
to  tow  her  up  to  Pittsburg,  when  the  following  inci 
dent  occurred,  just  as  the  captain  describes  it: 

"James  was  standing  on  deck,  with  the  setting- 
pole  against  his  shoulders,  and  several  feet  away 
stood  Murphy,  one  of  the  boat  hands,  a  big,  burly 
fellow  of  thirty-five,  when  the  steamboat  threw  the 
line,  and,  owing  to  a  sudden  lurch  of  the  boat,  it 
whirled  over  the  boy's  shoulders,  and  flew  in  the 
direction  of  the  boatman." 

"  Look  out,   Murphy  !  "  shouted  James  ;   but  the 


202  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

rope  had  anticipated  him,  and  knocked  Murphy's  hat 
off  into  the  river. 

"  It  was  an  accident,  Murphy,"  exclaimed  James, 
by  way  of  excuse,  "I'm  very  sorry." 

"I'll  make  yer  sorry,"  bellowed  Murphy,  thor 
oughly  mad,  and  like  a  reckless  bull  he  plunged  at 
James,  with  his  head  down,  thinking  to  knock  him 
over,  perhaps,  into  the  water,  where  his  hat  had 
gone ;  but  James  stepped  nimbly  aside,  and  dealt 
him  a  heavy  blow  behind  the  ear,  tumbling  him  to 
the  bottom  of  the  boat,  among  the  copper  ore.  Think 
ing  to  bring  hostilities  to  a  sudden  close,  he  leaped 
upon  Murphy,  and  held  him  down. 

"Pound  the  fool,  Jim,"  cried  the  captain.  But 
James  had  him  fast  in  his  grip,  so  that  the  fellow 
could  not  harm  him,  and  he  refused  to  strike.  He 
only  said, 

"  I  have  him,  now." 

K  If  he  hain't  no  more  sense  'n  to  get  mad  at  acci 
dents,  giv  it  ter  him.  Why  don't  yer  strike?  " 

"Because  he's  down,  and  in  my  power,"  answered 
the  noble  boy.  He  never  would  have  it  said  that  he 
struck  a  man  save  in  self-defence ;  and  it  is  not  self- 
defence  to  strike  a  man  when  he  can  be  restrained 
without  striking. 

"Got  enough,  Murphy?  You  can  get  up  when 
you  have,"  said  James  to  his  conquered  antagonist. 

"  Yis,  'miff,"  answered  Murphy.  James  rose,  and 
allowed  his  assailant  to  rise  also;  then,  extending 
his  hand,  in  the  magnanimous  spirit  of  a  victor,  he 
said, 


TRIUMPHS  ON  THE   TOW-PATH.  203 

"  Murphy,  give  us  your  hand." 

And  they  shook  hands,  and  were  fast  friends 
thereafter.  From  that  time  James  moved  among 
the  crew  not  as  a  greenhorn  and  coward,  but  as  a 
boy-man,  —  a  boy  in  age,  but  a  man  in  action;  a 
boy  in  physical  appearace,  but  a  man  in  convictions 
and  generous  spirit. 

Among  the  boatmen  was  one  Harry  Brown,  a 
good-hearted,  rough,  dissipated  fellow,  who  had  a 
strong  liking  for  James,  and  would  do  almost  any 
thing  for  him.  Harry  was  impetuous,  and  whisky 
often  increased  his  impetuosity,  so  that  he  was  fre 
quently  in  trouble. 

"  Look  here,  Harry,  it's  a  little  rough  for  you  to 
be  in  rows  so  often ;  let  whisky  alone,  and  you'll 
not  be  in  trouble  half  so  much,"  said  James  to  him, 
in  a  kind  way.  If  any  one  else  on  board  had  said 
that,  Harry  would  have  resented  it,  and  told  him  to 
"  mind  his  own  business."  But  he  pleasantly  said 
to  James, 

"  That's  so,  Jim  ;  I'd  giv  a  pile  to  be  like  yer." 

"You  can  be,  if  you  are  a  mind  to,"  replied 
James.  "Whisky  is  the  last  stuff  I  should  think 
of  drinking,  Harry;  sooner  drink  the  dirty  water 
in  this  canal." 

"  Yer  are  a  trump,  Jim." 

"I'm  just  what  I  am,"  replied  James,  and  you 
don't  begin  to  be  what  you  might  be,  Harry.  Your 
generous  soul  could  make  sunshine  all  about  you, 
only  break  your  bottle." 

This  compliment  tickled  Harry  in  the  right  place, 


204  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

and  he  concluded  that  James  was  rehearsing  more 
truth  than  poetry.  James  saw  that  he  held  the  key 
to  the  rough  boatman's  heart,  and  he  proceeded : 

"  I  don't  see  why  boatmen  can't  be  as  decent  as 
other  people,  but  they  are  not.  They  are  about  the 
hardest  set  I  ever  saw  —  drinking,  swearing,  brag 
ging,  fighting.  Isn't  it  so,  Harry?" 

"Yer  about  right,  Jim,"  Harry  answered,  with  a 
comical  shrug  of  his  shoulders. 

"If  I  was  captain  of  a  boat,  I  would  have  a  new 
order  of  things,  or  fling  up  my  commission,"  James 
continued. 

"  I'll  bet  yer,  Jim  ;  we'd  all  behave  well  to  please 
yer,"  interrupted  Harry,  acquiescing  in  the  suppo 
sition. 

"Well,  now,  Harry,  don't  you  think  yourself  thkt  it 
would  be  a  great  improvement,  on  canal  boats,  to 
give  whisky  a  wide  berth?  " 

"True  as  preachin',  Jim." 

"And  yet  you  continue  to  make  yourself  a  dis 
grace  to  your  sex,  and  are  in  hot  water  half  your 
time.  Isn't  it  so,  Harry?  " 

Harry  shook  his  sides  over  James'  plainness  of 
speech,  and  admitted  that  the  boy  was  right. 

"I  hate  this  beastly  way  of  living,"  continued 
James,  "and  I  don't  see  why  a  fellow  should  act 
like  a  brute,  when  he  is  a  man.  I  don't  believe  that 
you  respect  yourself,  Harry." 

"Right  again  !"  shouted  Harry.  "Yer  see,  if  I 
did  'spect  myself,  I  should  n't  do  as  I  do.  That's 
the  trouble,  —  J  have  no  'spect  for  myself."  And  the 


TRIUMPHS  ON  THE   TOW-PATH.  205 

poor,  weak  fellow  never  spoke  a  plainer  truth  in  his 
life.  Proper  self-respect  will  lead  such  devotees  of 
vice  to  reform,  and  be  men. 

«  Yer  see,  Jim,"  added  Harry,  « I  couldn't  be  like 
yer  if  I  tried." 

"That's  bosh,''  replied  James.  "Just  as  if  a  man 
can't  be  decent  when  he  tries !  You  can't  make 
that  go,  Harry.  Throw  whisky  and  tobacco  over 
board,  as  Murphy's  hat  went,  and  the  thing  is  done." 

"So  you'd  take  all  a  feller's  comforts  away,  Jim, 
t'backer  and  all,"  interposed  Harry. 

tf  Yes  ;  and  this  awful  profanity  that  I  hear,  also," 
retorted  James.  "I  would  make  a  clean  sweep  of 
the  whole  thing.  What  good  does  it  all  do?" 

"What  good  !  humph!"  exclaimed  Harry.  "Yer 
are  not  fool  'nough  to  think  we  'spect  to  do  good  in 
this  way  !  "  And  Harry  laughed  again  heartily,  ad 
mitting  the  truth  of  James'  position,  without  pro 
posing  to  defend  himself. 

"  What  do  you  do  it  for,  then?" 

M  Do  \\for  I  don't  do  it  for  nothin',  Jim,"  responded 
Harry.  "Nary  good  or  evil  we  are  after." 

"You're  a  bigger  fool  than  I  thought  you  were," 
added  James.  "Making  a  brute  of  yourself  for 
nothing.  If  that  isn't  being  a  fool,  then  I  don't 
know  what  a  fool  is." 

Harry  laughed  more  loudly  than  ever,  as  he 
turned  away,  accepting  the  advice  of  James  in  the 
same  spirit  in  which  it  was  tendered.  That  he  was 
not  at  all  offended  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  he 
was  heard  to  say  to  Murphy  afterwards,  — 


206  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"Jim  is  a  great  feller.  I've  an  orful  itchin'  to  see 
what  sort  of  a  man  he'll  make.  The  way  he  rakes 
me  down  on  whisky,  t'backer,  and  swearing,  is  a 
caution ;  and  he  don't  say  a  word  that  ain't  true ; 
that's  the  trouble.  And  he  says  it  in  sich  a  way, 
that  yer  knows  he  means  it.  Jist  think,  Murphy  ; 
a  boy  on  this  old  canal  as  don't  drink  rum,  or 
smoke,  or  chew,  or  swear,  or  fight,  —  would  yer 
believe  it,  if  yer  didn't  see  it?" 

Murphy  acknowledged  that  it  was  an  anomaly  on 
the  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  canal,  and  hinted  that 
he  should  like  to  know  where  the  "feller"  came 
from. 

"  I  like  him,  though,  Murphy,"  Harry  continued. 
"  I  allers  liked  a  man  to  show  his  colors.  I  like  to 
know  where  a  feller  is,  if  he  be  agin  me.  And  Jim 
is  so  cute ;  he'll  beat  the  whole  crowd  on  us  tellin' 
stories,  only  they  are  not  nasty,  like  the  rest  on  us 
tell.  Isn't  he  a  deep  one  ?  He  knows  more'n  all 
the  crew  put  together,  and  two  or  three  more  boat 
loads  added,  into  the  bargain." 

James  had  fairly  established  himself  in  the  re 
spect  and  confidence,  not  only  of  the  sober  and 
intelligent  captain,  but  of  the  drunken,  ignorant 
crew,  as  well.  On  the  whole,  they  were  proud  of 
him.  Said  the  steersman  to  the  bowman  of  another 
boat,  ''  We've  got  a  feller  in  our  crew  just  the  big 
gest  trump  yer  ever  see.  Nary  drinks  whisky, 
smokes,  chews,  swears,  or  fights,  —  d'ye  believe  it, 
old  feller?"  and  he  slapped  the  bowman  on  the 
back  as  he  said  it. 


TRIUMPHS  ON  THE   TOW-PATH.  207 

"Where'd  he  cum  from?"  the  bowman  inquired. 

w  That's  what  we'd  like  ter  know,  yer  see  ;  where 
he  cum  from,  and  how  he  happen'd  to  cum,"  re 
sponded  the  steersman.  "But  he's  a  jolly  good  fel 
ler,  strong  as  a  lion,  could  lick  any  on  us  if  he's  a 
mind  to;  and  he's  a  pealer  for  work,  too;  ain't 
afraid  to  dirty  hisself;  and  buckles  right  down  to 
bisness,  he  does,  jist  like  any  on  us.  I  never  seed 
just  such  a  boy." 

That  the  captain  was  "won  by  the  amount  and 
quality  of  James'  work,  as  well  as  by  the  reliability 
of  his  character,  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  he 
promoted  him  to  bowman  at  the  end  of  his  first  trip. 
We  mistrust  that,  in  addition  to  the  captain's  confi 
dence  in  his  abilhy  for  the  position,  that  he  exercised 
military  tactics  in  the  appointment,  and  concluded 
that  it  would  put  an  end  to  brutal  fights  for  the  pos 
session  of  locks. 

By  the  confession  of  captain  and  crew,  most  of 
whom  are  still  alive,  James  was  a  successful  peace 
maker  on  the  canal  boat,  and  his  influence  elevated 
the  rough  boatmen  to  some  extent.  He  did  it,  too, 
without  making  an  enemy,  but  real  friends  of  all. 
His  forte  lay  in  that  direction. 

The  testimony  of  the  captain  is,  that  James  did 
everything  thoroughly  as  well  as  promptly  ;  that  he 
was  as  conscientious  as  he  was  resolute,  declining 
to  participate  in  any  project  that  he  considered 
wrong; 'that  he  possessed  remarkable  tact  in  his 
business  as  well  as  in  dealing  with  men ;  and  that 
he  was  a  model  boy  in  every  respect,  —  w  not  talka- 


208  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

live,  but  very  intelligent ;  and  when  drawn  into  con 
versation,  he  surprised  us  by  the  depth  of  his  knowl 
edge  on  the  topics  of  the  day." 

On  the  canal  boat  James  had  no  books  to  read ; 
and  this  was  a  serious  privation.  Occasionally,  the 
captain  had  an  opportunity  to  purchase  newspapers, 
and  these  James  read  through  and  through.  The 
captain  thinks,  however,  that  the  absence  of  reading- 
matter  was  fully  made  up  to  him  by  the  opportunity 
and  demand  for  the  exercise  of  his  observation.  He 
studied  men  and  business,  and  asked  a  multitude  of 
questions.  Patrick  Henry  once  said  that  he  owed 
his  success  to  "  studying  men  more  than  books." 
Garfield  studied  men  more  than  books,  and  the  cap 
tain  aided  him  materially  by  answering  his  ques 
tions.  Perhaps  it  was  an  advantage  for  him,  in  the 
circumstances,  to  be  where  no  books  could  be  had 
for  love  or  money. 

James  appeared  to  possess  a  singular  affinity  for 
the  water.  He  fell  into  the  water  fourteen  times 
during  the  two  or  three  months  he  served  on  the 
canal  boat.  It  was  not  because  he  was  so  clumsy 
that  he  could  not  keep  right  side  up,  nor  because  he 
did  not  understand  the  business  ;  rather,  we  think, 
it  arose  from  his  thorough  devotion  to  his  work.  He 
gave  more  attention  to  the  labor  in  hand  than  he  did 
to  his  own  safety.  He  was  one  who  never  thought 
of  himself  when  he  was  serving  another.  He  thought 
only  of  what  he  had  in  hand  to  do.  His  application 
was  intense,  and  his  perseverance  royal. 

The  last  time  he  fell  into  the  water  he  came  near 


TRIUMPHS  ON  THE    TOW-PATH. 


209 


losing  his  life.  It  was  on  one  very  rainy  night, 
when  he  was  called  up  to  take  his  turn  at  the  bow. 
The  boat  was  just  leaving  one  of  those  long  reaches 
of  slack-water  which  abound  in  the  Ohio  and  Penn 
sylvania  Canal.  James  was  awaked  out  of  a  very 
sound  sleep,  and  he  responded  with  his  eyes  half 
open,  scarcely  comprehending  as  yet  the  situation, 
and  took  his  stand  upon  the  platform  below  the  bow- 
deck.  He  began  to  uncoil  a  rope  to  steady  the  boat 
through  a  lock  it  was  approaching.  The  rope 
caught  somehow  on  the  edge  of  the  deck,  and  re 
sisted  several  pulls  that  he  made  to  extricate  it.  At 
last  it  yielded,  but,  in  the  rebound,  sent  him  head 
long  over  the  bow  into  the  water.  It  was  a  very 
dark  night,  and  he  went  down  into  the  water,  which 
was  blacker  than  the  night.  In  the  mean  while  the 
boat  was  sweeping  on,  and  no  mortal  knew  of  his 
mishap,  and  not  a  helping  hand  was  near.  Death 
seemed  inevitable.  Fortunately  his  hand  seized  the 
rope  in  the  darkness,  by  accident,  men  will  say,  but 
by  providential  guidance  really,  and  he  drew  him 
self,  hand  over  hand,  upon  deck.  He  saw  that  he 
had  been  saved  as  by  a  miracle.  The  rope  would 
have  been  of  no  service  to  him,  only  it  caught  in  a 
crevice  on  the  edge  of  the  deck  and  held  fast.  He 
stood  there  dripping  in  his  wet  clothes,  his  thoughts 
running  thus  : 

"What  saved  me  that  time?  It  must  have  been 
God.  I  could  not  have  saved  myself.  Just  a  kink 
in  the  rope  catching  in  that  crevice  saved  me,  noth 
ing  else.  That  was  almost  miraculous,  and  God 


210  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

does  miraculous  things.  He  thinks  my  life  is  worth 
saving,  and  I  ought  not  to  throw  it  away  on  a  sea 
faring  life,  and  I  won't.  I  will  renounce  all  such 
ideas  and  get  an  education." 

During  the  time  that  he  was  thus  reflecting  he 
was  trying  to  throw  the  rope  so  that  it  would  catch 
in  the  device.  Again  and  again  he  coiled  the  rope 
and  threw  it;  but  it  would  neither  kink  nor  catch. 
Repeated  trials  satisfied  him  that  supernatural  causes 
put  the  kinked  rope  into  his  hand,  and  saved  his 
life. 

That  accident  made  a  very  deep  impression  upon 
his  mind.  His  thoughts  more  than  ever  turned  to 
his  home  and  praying  mother.  He  knew  that  every 
day  his  dear  mother  remembered  him  at  the  throne 
of  grace.  He  had  no  more  doubt  of  it  than  he  had 
of  his  existence.  "  Was  it  her  prayers?"  He  could 
not  evade  the  inquiry.  He  thought  of  all  her  anxie 
ties  and  wise  counsels,  and  her  undying  love.  "Such 
a  mother  !  "  The  thought  would  force  itself  upper 
most  in  spite  of  himself.  He  felt  rebuked,  although 
he  had  been  a  good,  obedient  son.  He  had  not  been 
tender  enough  of  his  mother's  feelings  ;  he  would  be 
in  future.  He  would  quit  the  canal  boat  forever. 

It  was  but  a  few  weeks  after  the  last  immersion 
before  James  was  quite  severely  attacked  by  ague, 
a  disease  that  prevailed  somewhat  in  that  region.  It 
prostrated  him  to  such  a  degree  that  he  was  unfitted 
for  labor ;  and  this  offered  a  favorable  opportunity 
for  him  to  carry  out  the  resolution  of  that  night  of 
disaster. 


TRIUMPHS  ON  THE   TOW-PATH.  2II 

"I  must  go  home,  captain,"  said  James. 

"  It's  a  wise  conclusion,  Jim.  You  are  too  unwell 
for  work,  and  there's  no  place  like  home  for  sick 
folks.  I  don't  want  to  part  with  you,  and  the  men 
will  be  sorry  to  have  you  go ;  but  I  think  you'd  bet 
ter  go." 

"  I  regret  to  leave  your  service,  captain,  for  I've 
enjoyed  it ;  but  I've  been  thinking  of  your  advice, 
and  I  guess  I  shall  put  it  in  practice." 

"  You  can't  do  a  wiser  thing,  Jim  ;  and  I  wouldn't 
lose  a  day  about  it.  As  soon  as  you  are  able,  I'd  go 
to  studying,  if  I  was  in  your  place." 

The  captain  settled  with  James,  paying  him  at  the 
rate  of  twelve  dollars  a  month  while  he  was  driver, 
and  eighteen  dollars  a  month  while  he  was  bowman  ; 
and  James  started  for  home. 

James  was  never  so  melancholy  in  his  life  as  he 
was  on  the  way  home.  The  ague  had  taken  his 
strength  away,  and  made  him  almost  as  limp  as  a 
child.  Then,  he  was  thinking  more  of  his  duties, 
and  his  good  mother.  lie  had  not  written  to  her  in 
his  absence,  between  two  and  three  months,  and  he 
rather  rebuked  himself  for  the  neglect.  "True,"  he 
thought,  "  I  have  been  on  the  wing  all  of  the  time, 
and  there  has  been  little  opportunity  for  writing ; " 
and  so  he  partially  excused  himself  for  the  neglect. 
His  mother  supposed  that  he  was  serving  on  a 
schooner  somewhere  on  Lake  Erie.  He  ought  to 
have  informed  her  of  his  whereabouts.  So  his 
thoughts  were  busy  during  his  lonely  journey  home. 


£12  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

It  was  nearly  dark  when  he  left  the  boat,  so  that  he 
did  not  reach  home  until  eleven  o'clock  at  night. 

As  he  drew  near  the  house,  he  could  see  the  light 
of  the  fire  through  the  window.  His  heart  heat 
quick  and  strong  ;  he  knew  that  it  would  be  a  glad 
surprise  to  his  mother.  Looking  in  at  the  window, 
he  beheld  her  kneeling  in  the  corner,  with  a  book 
open  in  the  chair  before  her.  Was  she  reading  ? 
He  looked  again  :  her  eyes  were  turned  heaven 
ward  ;  she  was  praying.  He  listened,  and  he  dis 
tinctly  heard,  "  Oh,  turn  unto  me,  and  have  mercy 
upon  me  !  Give  Thy  strength  unto  Thy  servant, 
and  save  the  son  of  Thine  handmaid  !  "  That  was 
enough  ;  he  waited  to  hear  no  more.  Mother  and 
son  were  united  again  in  loving  embrace ;  and  the 
tears  that  were  shed  were  tears  of  joy. 


XIV. 

THE    TURNING-POINT. 

]HY,  James  !  "  exclaimed  his  mother,  when 
the  excitement  of  their  meeting  was  over, 
you  look  sick." 

"  I  am  sick ;  and  that's  the  reason  I 
came  home.  It's  been  a  very  hard  walk  for  me,  I 
am  so  weak." 

"How  long  have  you  been  sick?"  inquired  his 
mother,  with  much  anxiety. 

"  Not  long.  I've  got  the  ague  ;  had  it  a  week  or 
-more." 

"  The  ague  ! "  answered  his  mother,  astonibhed  ; 
"  I  didn't  know  that  they  ever  had  the  ague  on  a 
ship." 

"  I  have  not  been  on  a  ship,  but  on  the  canal." 
"On  the  canal!  "  rejoined   his  mother,  still   more 
surprised.     "  I  thought  you  was  on  the  lake  all  this 
time.      How   did    it  happen  that  you  was   on   the 
canal?" 

James  rehearsed  his  experience  on  the  schooner 
that  he  boarded,  especially  narrating  his  encounter 

213 


214  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

with  the  captain,  and  his  haste  to  escape  from  such 
a  demon  ;  how  he  met  his  cousin,  Amos  Letcher,  of 
the  canal-boat  "Evening  Star,"  and  bargained  with 
him  for  the  position  of  driver,  not  omitting  his  hair 
breadth  escapes  on  the  boat ;  concluding  by  a  de 
scription  of  the  exposures  of  the  business,  in  Conse 
quence  of  which  he  was  attacked  by  the  ague. 

His  mother  listened  to  the  narration,  which  was 
more  interesting  to  her  than  a  novel,  remarking  at 
the  close  of  it, 

"  God  has  wonderfully  preserved  you,  and  brought 
you  back,  in  answer  to  my  prayers." 

James  was  too  full  to  make  much  reply.  He 
managed,  however,  to  say,  "  Nobody  saved  me 
from  drowning,  that  dark  night,  but  God."  This 
brief  remark  sent  a  thrill  of  pleasure  through  his 
mother's  heart.  With  all  his  obedience  and  excel 
lence  of  character,  James  had  not  given  before  so 
much  evidence  as  this  that  he  recognized  his  per 
sonal  obligations  to  God.  His  mother  construed  it 
into  genuine  religious  conviction,  and  she  was  re 
joiced  beyond  measure  by  the  revelation. 

r'  You  must  say  no  more  to-night ;  you  must  go  to 
bed,  and  get  some  rest,"  added  his  mother.  w  in  the 
morning  I  will  see  how,  and  what  can  be  done  for 
you." 

Both  retired ;  his  mother  to  a  restless  bed,  being 
too  full  of  joy  and  grateful  thoughts  to  sleep.  She 
lived  over  her  whole  life  again,  during  that  night, 
with  all  its  checkered  scenes ;  and  she  penetrated 
the  future,  in  imagination,  and  beheld  her 


THE   TURNING-POINT. 


boy  dignifying  his  manhood  by  an  honorable  and 
useful  career.  "  If  he  could  only  become  a  preach 
er  !  "  The  thought  grew  upon  her  in  the  "  night 
watches."  It  became  a  source  of  real  delight  to  her  ; 
and  she  thanked  God,  again  and  again,  for  his 
goodness.  She  found  more  enjoyment  in  wakeful- 
ness  and  her  thoughts,  on  that  night,  than  she 
could  have  had  in  the  sweetest  sleep.  It  was  the 
silent  communings  of  a  truly  Christian  heart. 

Very  early  in  the  morning  Mrs.  Garlield  was  at 
the  bedside  of  her  son,  anxious  to  learn  how  he  was. 
He  was  in  a  sound  sleep.  She  waited  until  the  sun 
light  was  bathing  his  brow,  when  she  entered  his 
room  again.  Her  presence  awoke  him. 

"  You've  had  a  sweet  sleep,  James,"  she  said,  in 
quiringly. 

"The  best  sleep  I've  had  for  a  week,"  James  an 
swered..  "I  was  dreadful  tired  last  night.  I  feel 
better  this  morning." 

The  ague  is  a  fitful  disease,  and  attacks  its  victims 
periodically,  leaVing  them  comparatively  comfort 
able  and  strong  on  some  days.  James  \vas  really 
very  comfortable  on  that  morning,  —  there  was  no 
visible  appearance  of  the  ague  upon  him,  —  and  he 
proposed  to  get  up,  dress  himself,  and  look  about 
the  home  that  seemed  more  pleasant  to  him  than 
ever.  Returning  to  the  kitchen,  Mrs.  Garfield  pre 
pared  some  simple  remedy  for  him,  such  as  pioneers 
were  wont  to  administer  to  ague-patients.  Pioneers 
were  more  or  less  familiar  with  the  disease,  and  un 
derstood  somewhat  how  to  manage  it.  In  severe 


2l6  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

cases  a  physician  was  called  in  to  administer  calo« 
mel  —  that  was  considered  a  specific  at  that  time  — 
until  salivation  was  produced. 

James  was  not  comfortable  long.  On  the  follow 
ing  day  a  violent  attack  of  the  disease  prostrated 
him  completely. 

"  There's  a  hard  bunch  on  my  left  side,  and  pain," 
said  James,  to  his  mother. 

"  That's  the  ague-cake,"  replied  his  mother,  on 
examining  the  spot.  "  That  always  appears  in  se 
vere  cases."  The  name  was  given  by  pioneers  to 
the  hardness ;  perhaps  physicians  called  it  by  some 
other  name. 

"You  are  pretty  sick,  my  son,"  continued  Mrs. 
Gar  field,  "  and  I  think  you  must  have  the  doctor. 
Don't  you  think  you  better  have  the  doctor?  " 

"  Perhaps  so ;  just  as  you  think  about  it,"  was 
James'  reply. 

The  physician  of  a  neighboring  village  was  sent 
for ;  and  he  put  the  patient  through  the  usual  calo 
mel  treatment,  salivating  him,  and  really  causing 
him  to  suffer  more  by  the  remedy  than  by  the  dis 
ease.  For  weeks  the  big,  strong  boy  lay  almost 
as  weak  and  helpless  as  a  child.  It  was  a  new  and 
rough  experience  for  James.  It  was  the  first  sick 
ness  he  ever  had ;  and  to  lie  in  bed  and  toss  with 
fever,  and  shake  with  ague,  by  turns,  was  harder 
for  him  than  chopping  wood  or  planing  boards. 
But  for  the  wise  management  and  tender  care  of  his 
mother  his  experience  would  have  been  much  more 
trying  yet. 


THE   TIRNING-POINT. 


w  How  fortunate  it  was,  James,  that  you  came 
home  when  you  did,"  remarked  his  mother. 

"  It  was  so,  though  I  should  have  come  home  be 
fore  long,  if  I  had  been  well,"  replied  James. 

"  Then  you  thought  of  giving  up  work  on  the 
canal?"  continued  Mrs.  Garfield. 

rf  Yes  ;  I  got  about  enough  of  it.  Amos  told  me 
that  I  was  a  fool  to  follow  such  business  when  I  am 
capable  of  something  better,"  replied  James,  drop 
ping  just  a  word  concerning  his  interview  with  Cap 
tain  Letcher. 

"  I  should  agree  with  Amos  on  that,"  remarked 
his  mother,  smiling.  "  You  knew  that  before." 

"  If  God  saved  my  life  on  that  night,  I  didn't 
know  but  he  saved  it  for  something,"  added  James  ; 
another  indication  of  higher  aspirations,  that  gratified 
hits  mother  very  much. 

"  If  God  did  not  save  your  life,  it  would  be  hard 
telling  who  did,"  responded  Mrs.  Garfield.  "None 
of  us  should  be  blind  to  the  lessons  of  His  Provi 
dence.  It's  my  opinion  that  the  Lord  didn't  mean 
you  should  go  to  sea,  and  so  he  headed  you  off  by 
that  monster  of  a  captain." 

"Perhaps  so,"  James  answered,  in  a  tone  that 
might  indicate  either  indifference  or  weakness. 

"  If  God  answers  my  prayers,  James,  you'll  get  an 
education,  and  be  a  teacher  or  preacher.  My  cup 
will  run  over  when  I  see  you  in  such  a  position." 

"  What  if  I  should  be  a  lawyer,"  remarked  James. 

"  Well,  I  shall  not  object  to  that,  if  you  are  a  good 
man.  A  wicked  lawyer  is  almost  as  bad  as  a  sailor. 


2l8  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Above  all  things  I  want  you  should  feel  that  the 
Lord  has  the  first  claim  upon  your  love  and  service. 
Don't  you  ever  think,  James,  that  you  ought  to  give 
your  heart  to  Him,  and  try  for  a  more  useful  life?" 

This  question  was  unexpected  to  James,  at  the 
time,  although  such  interrogations  had  often  been 
put  to  him  formerly.  Indeed,  the  inquiry  that  Mrs. 
Garfield  put  was  unexpected  to  herself,  for  she  did 
not  intend  to  put  such  a  question  when  the  conversa 
tion  began.  She  expected  to  come  to  it  sometime, 
however.  She  was  feeling  her  way  along,  and 
leading  her  boy  as  best  she  could ;  yet,  James  an 
swered, 

"  I've  thought  more  about  it  lately." 

"  I  hope  you  will  continue  to  think  about  it,  my 
son.  It  is  the  greatest  thing  you  can  think  about. 
If  you  will  only  consecrate  your  powers  to  God,  I 
know  that  you  will  make  the  best  possible  use  of 
them  ;  and  you  won't  make  such  use  of  them  unless 
you  do  that." 

Mrs.  Garfield  was  very  discreet,  and  thought  it 
not  best  to  press  the  matter  too  persistently,  but 
leave  James  to  his  o\vn  reflections.  She  was  confi 
dent  that  the  Lord  had  taken  him  in  hand,  and  was 
leading  him  in  a  way  the  son  knew  not.  She  was 
greatly  encouraged,  and  her  prayers  were  more 
earnest  than  ever  for  his  conversion  to  Christ. 

The  weeks  dragged  heavily  along,  and  winter  set 
in.  James  was  still  sick,  but  convalescent.  A  few 
weeks  more,  according  to  his  improved  symptoms, 
and  he  would  be  well  enough  for  business,  or  school 


THE   fURNING-POTNT. 


219 


The  winter  school  near  Mrs.  Garfield's  began  the 
first  week  in  December,  and  it  was  taught  by  a 
young  man  by  the  name  of  Samuel  D.  Bates.  He 
was  a  young  man  of  ability,  a  very  earnest  Chris 
tian,  looking  forward  to  the  ministry  in  connection 
with  the  Disciples'  Church.  He  was,  also,  an  ener 
getic,  working  young  man,  possessing  large  com 
mon  sense,  and  intensely  interested  in  benefiting  the 
young  people,  intellectually  and  spiritually.  From 
the  commencement  of  the  'school  he  was  very  popu 
lar,  too. 

Mrs.  Garfield  made  his  acquaintance,  and  at  once 
concluded  that  he  wras  just  the  person  to  influence 
James  to  aspire  to  an  education.  She  could  not 
help  him  herself,  but  her  faith  that  God  would  open 
the  way  for  him  to  go  to  school  was  unfaltering. 
She  improved  the  first  opportunity  to  tell  Mr.  Bates 
about  James,  —  his  sickness,  frame  of  mind,  and  as 
pirations.  She  frankly  announced  to  him  that  she 
wanted  he  should  bring  all  his  influence  upon  James 
to  induce  him  to  strive  for  an  education.  The 
teacher  readily  consented,  for  that  was  a  kind  of 
business  in  which  he  delighted,  to  help  young  men 
onward  and  upwaid.  His  first  call  upon  James  was 
immediate,  though  he  did  not  announce  the  real  ob 
ject  he  had  in  view,  thinking  it  would  not  be  wise. 

"Mr.  Bates  is  a  very  interesting  man,  James,"  re 
marked  Mrs.  Garfield,  after  the  teacher  left.  "I 
don't  wonder  the  scholars  like  him." 

"  I  like  him  very  much,"  replied  James.     "  I  hope 


220  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

he  will  come  in  here  often.  I  wish  I  was  able  to  go 
to  school  to  him." 

w  I  wish  you  could  ;  but  Providence  orders  other 
wise,  and  it  will  be  all  for  the  best,  I  have  no  doubt. 
Mr.  Bates  is  working  his  way  into  the  ministry.  He 
teaches  school  in  order  to  earn  money  to  pay  his 
bills.  That  is  what  you  could  do.  If  you  could  go 
to  school  a  few  months,  you  could  teach  school  next 
winter,  and,  in  that  way,  earn  money  for  further 
schooling." 

"  I  don't  know  as  I  should  be  contented  in  that 
occupation,"  responded  James.  "  Once  in  a  while, 
mother,  I  have  a  strong  desire  to  go  to  sea  again. 
There  is  something  about  the  water  that  fascinates 
me.  The  sight  of  a  ship  fills  my  eye ;  indeed,  the 
thought  of  a  ship  awakens  a  strong  desire  within,  to 
tread  its  deck  and  handle  its  ropes." 

"  But  you  are  not  disposed  to  return  to  the  canal, 
or  to  follow  a  sea-faring  life?  "  inquired  his  mother, 
surprised  at  his  frank  avowal.  She  had  begun  to 
think  that  he  had  abandoned  all  thoughts  of  the  sea. 

"I  should  like  it  if  I  thought  it  was  best,"  he  an 
swered. 

"  It  is  not  best,  James  ;  I  can  see  that  plainly." 

"  Since  I  have  got  better,  my  desire  for  the  sea 
has  returned,  in  a  measure,"  added  James,  "causing 
me  to  ask  myself  if  I  shall  not  be  disappointed  if  I 
abandon  the  purpose  altogether." 

"Not  at  all,"  responded  Mrs.  Garfield.  "When 
you  once  get  engaged  in  study  you  will  like  it  far 
better  than  you  can  the  sea,  I  am  sure ;  and  teach- 


THE   TURNING-POINT.       .  22I 

ing  school  is  a  business  that  will  bring  you  both 
money  and  respect.  I  think  we  can  manage  to 
scrape  together  money  enough  for  you  to  start  with." 

"  I  will  think  it  over,"  added  James  ;  "  I  shan't  de 
cide  in  a  hurry." 

"  If  vou  work  on  the  canal,  or  become  a  sailor  on 
the  lake,  you  will  have  work  only  part  of  the  year," 
continued  his  mother.  "  You  will  find  little  to  do  in 
the  winter.  How  much  better  it  will  be  for  you  to  go 
to  school,  and  qualify  yourself  for  a  teacher  !  Then 
you  can  sail  in  the  summer,  and  teach  school  in  the 
winter." 

Mrs.  Garfield  feared  that  a  total  abandonment  of 
the  idea  of  going  to  sea  would  be  quite  impossible 
for  James  at  present ;  and  so  her  policy  was  to  lure 
him  into  the  way  of  knowledge  by  degrees.  She 
suggested  sailing  in  summer,  and  teaching  in  winter, 
hoping,  that  when  he  had  qualified  himself  to  teach, 
he  would  be  so  much  in  love  with  books  as  to  banish 
all  thoughts  of  a  ship. 

There  was  a  sort  of  mystery  in  James'  strong 
desire  for  a  sea-faring  life,  to  his  mother.  And  yet 
there  was  no  mystery  about  it.  Many  are  born  with 
an  adventurous,  daring  spirit,  which  the  reading  of 
a  book  may  set  strongly  in  a  given  direction.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  the  books  James  read  at  the  black- 
sailer's  were  the  spark  that  kindled  his  adventurous 
spirit  into  a  flame.  We  have  seen  a  sailor  who  en 
joys  life  on  the  ocean  with  the  keenest  relish,  and  his 
attention  was  first  turned  in  that  direction  by  a  book 
presented  to  him  by  his  uncle. 


222  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

It  is  related  of  a  traveler,  that  he  sought  lodgings 
one  night  at  a  farm  house  in  Vermont.  He  found 
an  aged  couple,  well-to-do  in  this  world's  goods, 
living  there  alone.  In  the  course  of  the  evening  he 
learned  that  they  had  three  sons  following  the  sea. 
It  was  an  inexplicable  affair  to  them,  that  their  sons, 
living  far  away  from  the  sea,  should  have  so  strong 
a  desire  to  be  sailors,  from  boyhood.  One  after  the 
other,  when  they  attained  the  age  of  twelve  or  fifteen, 
an  almost  incontrollable  desire  for  the  sea  had  taken 
possession  of  them.  In  each  case,  too,  the  parents 
gave  their  consent  to  entering  upon  a  sea-faring  life 
not  until  they  feared  the  sons  would  go  without  it. 
While  the  father  was  rehearsing  the  story  of  their 
lives,  the  traveler  was  observing  a  painting  on  the 
ceiling,  over  the  mantel-piece.  It  was  an  ocean 
scene,  —  a  ship  sailing  over  a  tranquil  sea,  —  painted 
after  the  manner  of  the  olden  times.  When  the 
father  ceased  his  remarks,  the  traveler  said, 

"There  is  the  cause  of  your  sons'  sailor-life, 
(pointing  to  the  painting).  From  infancy  they  have 
had  that  painting  before  their  eyes,  and  it  has  edu 
cated  them  for  the  sea.  In  the  earliest  years,  when 
their  hearts  were  most  impressible,  that  ocean  scene 
set  them  in  that  direction  ;  and  finally  their  hearts 
were  made  to  burn  with  unconquerable  desire." 

This  explanation  was  perfectly  satisfatory  to  the 
aged  couple,  and,  no  doubt,  it  was  the  correct  one. 
The  fact  shows  that  there  is  no  mystery  about  such 
a  love  for  the  ocean  as  James  possessed*  Such  a 
fervent  nature  as  his  would  readily  be  ignited  by  a 


THE   TURNING-POINT. 


223 


random  spark  from  a  glowing  book  or  a  glowing 
speech.  Nor  has  he  ever  outgrown  this  delight  in 
the  sea.  Although  more  than  thirty  years  have 
elapsed  since  his  conflict  with  the  ague,  he  said 
recently,  "The  sight  of  a  ship  fills  me  with  a  strange 
fascination.  When  upon  the  water,  and  my  fellow- 
men  are  suffering  sea-sickness,  I  am  as  tranquil  as 
wrhen  walking  the  land  in  serenest  weather.  The 
spell  of '  Jack  Halyard  '  has  not  yet  worn  off." 

Mr.  Bates  continued  his>  calls  at  the  Garfield's, 
always  aiming  to  draw  out  James  in  respect  to  his 
religious  convictions,  and  his  plans  for  the  future. 
All  these  interviews  were  very  profitable  to  James. 
His  mother  saw  clearly,  that  in  the  skillful  hands  of 
the  teacher  he  was  being  moulded,  and  her  heart 
rejoiced.  She  was  satisfied  that  he  was  making 
progress  in  religious  purpose.  He  was  frank  to  con 
fess  his  need  of  Divine  grace,  and  renewing,  and  to 
express  a  purpose  to  become  a  Christian.  At  the 
last  interview  which  we  have  space  to  notice,  Mr. 
Bates  brought  him  to  a  final  decision. 

"Look  here,  young  man,"  he  said ;  "the  differ 
ence  between  a  scholar  and  sailor  is  the  difference 
between  somebody  and  nobody."  And  he  rung  the 
changes  on  the  words  SCHOLAR  and  SAILOR,  until 
the  latter  appeared  almost  beneath  the  notice. 

"Go  to  school  with  me  at  Chester  on  the  first 
week  in  March,"  said  Mr.  Bates.  "  Settle  that  first, 
that  you  will  go  with  me  to  school  at  that  time. 
That  will  be  the  first  step,  and  the  most  important." 

"  I  will  go,"  answered  James,  unexpectedly  at  that 


224  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

moment  to  his  mother.  He  said  it  with  emphasis, 
indicating  that  the  matter  was  settled. 

"  That's  business,"  continued  Mr.  Bates.  "I  have 
no  concern  about  the  details,  as  to  how  you  will 
raise  money  to  pay  your  way,  or  whether  you  will 
have  to  relinquish  the  attempt  to  acquire  an  educa 
tion  after  you  have  begun  your  studies.  All  these 
things  will  come  right  at  the  time,  and  the  way  will 
be  provided.  You  have  said,  *  I  will  go  J  and  that 
commits  you  to  the  great  purpose  of  your  life.  It  is 
the  turning  -point  of  your  career.  You  have  set  your 
face  towards  f  Geauga  Seminary,'  and  I  have  no  idea 
that  you  will  look  back,  or  hanker  for  a  ship,  or  do 
any  other  unmanly  thing.  I  consider  that  the  turn 
ing  point  of  my  life  was  when  1  finally  decided  to 
be  educated  for  the  ministry ;  and  from  that  moment 
I  have  felt  it  was  the  great  decision  of  my  life." 

These  words  exerted  a  profound  influence  upon 
James,  and  that  influence  deepened  from  year  to 
year,  as  he  grew  older.  Years  afterwards,  as  we 
have  seen,  when  addressing  an  audience  of  young 
men,  he  bore  strongly  upon  this  point,  and  said,  "It 
is  a  great  point  gained  when  a  young  man  makes 
up  his  mind  to  devote  several  years  to  the  accom 
plishment  of  a  definite  work." 

A  mothers  prayers  and  love  had  triumphed.  Was 
she  not  a  happy  woman? 

"I  have  a  little  money,  and  I  know  where  I  can 
get  a  little  more,  and  that  will  be  enough  to  start 
on,"  his  mother  remarked. 

"I  can  find  work  to  do  out  of  school,  and  on  Satur- 


THE   TURNING-POINT. 


days,  when  school  don't  keep,  and  so  earn  money  to 
pay  my  way,"  responded  James. 

"  Yes,  I've  no  doubt  of  it.  You  know  that  Mr. 
Bates  said  all  these  things  would  come  around  right 
when  you  had  decided  to  go,"  remarked  Mrs.  Gar- 
field. 

"  I  mean  to  see  if  William  and  Henry  will  not 
go,  too;  we  can  room  together,"  continued  James. 
These  were  his  two  cousins,  who  lived  close  by, 
sons  of  his  uncle,  Amos  Boynton.  They  were  mem 
bers  of  his  Spelling  Club  a  few  years  before,  when, 
together,  they  mastered  Noah  Webster's  Spelling 
Book. 

"  That  will  be  a  good  idea,  James  ;  and  I  think 
they  will  go,"  responded  his  mother,  encouragingly. 
"  There  is  no  reason  why  they  should  not  go." 

It  was  only  three  weeks  before  the  school  at  Ches 
ter  would  begin.  James  announced  to  his  cousins 
that  ^e  had  resolved  to  attend  Geauga  Seminary, 
and  wanted  they  should  go,  too.  The  subject  was 
discussed  in  the  family  for  a  week  ;  Mr.  Bates  was 
consulted,  and  was  glad  to  influence  two  other  boys 
to  take  so  wise  a  step  ;  and  finally  it  was  settled  that 
William  and  Henry  should  go  with  James. 

While  matters  were  progressing  thus  favorably, 
James  heard  that  Dr.  J.  P.  Robinson,  of  Bedford, 
was  coming  into  the  neighborhood  on  a  professional 
visit,  and,  without  consulting  any  one,  he  resolved 
to  consult  him  concerning  the  practicability  of  his 
decision  to  acquire  an  education.  It  was  not  be 
cause  he  was  wavering  at  all,  but  it  was  more  of  a 
'5 


226  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

curiosity  on  his  part.  So  he  called  upon  the  doctor 
after  his  arrival  at  the  neighbor's,  and  the  interview, 
as  narrated  by  Dr.  Robinson  to  a  writer,  recently, 
was  as  follows : 

w  He  was  rather  shabbily  clad,  in  coarse  satinet 
trousers,  far  outgrown,  and  reaching  only  half-way 
down  the  tops  of  his  cowhide  boots ;  a  waistcoat 
much  too  short,  and  a  threadbare  coat  whose  sleeves 
went  only  a  little  below  the  elbows.  Surmounting 
the  whole  was  a  coarse  slouched  hat,  much  the 
worse  for  wear;  and  as  the  lad  removed  it,  in  mak 
ing  his  obeisance  to  the  physician,  he  displayed  a 
heavy  shock  of  unkempt  yellow  hair  that  fell  half 
way  down  his  shoulders. 

' '  He  was  wonderfully  awkward,' says  the  good 
doctor,  '  but  had  a  sort  of  independent,  go-as-you- 
please  manner,  that  impressed  me  favorably/ 

'Who  are  you? 'was  his  somewhat  gruff  salu 
tation. 

"My  name  is  James  Garfield,  from  Orange,'  re 
plied  the  latter. 

"  Oh,  I  know  your  mother,  and  knew  you  when 
you  were  a  babe  in  arms ;  but  you  have  outgrown 
my  knowledge.  I  am  glad  to  see  you.' 

'  I  want  to  see  you  alone,'  said  young  Garfield. 

"  The  doctor  led  the  way  to  a  secluded  spot  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  house,  and  there,  sitting  down 
on  a  log,  the  youth,  after  a  little  hesitation,  opened 
his  business. 

'You  are  a   physician,' he  said,  '  and  know  the 
fibre  that  is  in  men,     Examine  me,  and  tell  me  with 


THE   TURNING-POINT.  227 

the  utmost  frankness  whether  I  had  better  take  a 
course  of  liberal  study.  I  am  contemplating  doing 
so ;  my  desire  is  in  that  direction.  But  if  I  am  to 
make  a  failure  of  it,  or  practically  so,  I  do  not  desire 
to  begin.  If  you  advise  me  not  to  do  so  I  shall  feel 
content.' 

"  In  speaking  of  this  incident,  the  doctor  has  re 
marked,  recently :  '  I  felt  that  I  was  on  my  sacred 
honor,  and  the  young  man  looked  as  though  he  felt 
himself  on  trial.  I  had  had  considerable  experience 
as  a  physician,  but  here  was  a  case  much  different 
from  any  other  I  had  ever  had.  I  felt  that  it  must 
be  handled  with  great  care.  I  examined  his  head, 
and  saw  that  there  was  a  magnificent  brain  there. 
I  sounded  his  lungs,  and  found  that  they  were  strong, 
and  capable  of  making  good  blood.  I  felt  his  pulse, 
and  saw  that  there  was  an  engine  capable  of  sending 
the  blood  up  to  the  head  to  feed  the  brain.  I  had 
seen  many  strong  physical  systems  with  warm  feet, 
but  cold,  sluggish  brain ;  and  those  who  possessed 
such  systems  would  simply  sit  around  and  doze. 
Therefore  I  was  anxious  to  know  about  the  kind  of 
an  engine  to  run  that  delicate  machine,  the  brain. 
At  the  end  of  a  fifteen-minutes'  careful  examination 
of  this  kind,  we  rose,  and  I  said,  "Go  on,  follow  the 
leadings  of  your  ambition,  and  ever  after  I  am  your 
friend.  You  have  the  brain  of  a  Webster,  and  you 
have  the  physical  proportions  that  will  back  you  in 
the  most  herculean  efforts.  All  you  need  to  do  is  to 
work.  Work  hard,  do  not  be  afraid  of  overwork 
ing,  and  you  will  make  your  mark." ' " 


228  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  I  wish  you  had  a  better  suit  of  clothes,  James," 
remarked  his  mother,  "  but  we  shall  have  to  make 
these  do,  I  guess."  It  was  the  same  suit  he  had  on 
when  he  called  upon  Dr.  Robinson.  Indeed,  he 
possessed  no  other  suit.  The  trousers  were  nearly 
out  at  the  knees,  but  under  the  skillful  hand  of  his 
mother  they  were  made  almost  as  good  as  new. 

"  Good  enough,  any  way,"  said  James,  in  reply  to 
his  mother's  wish.  It  was  fortunate  that  he  was  not 
the  victim  of  a  false  pride  :  if  he  had  been,  he  would 
not  have  consented  to  attend  a  "  seminary  "  in  that 
plight. 

It  was  settled  that  the  boys  shouM  board  them 
selves,  each  one  carrying  his  own  outfit  in  utensils 
and  provisions,  doing  it  as  a  matter  of  economy. 

When  Mrs.  Garfield  had  scraped  together  all  the 
money  she  could  for  James,  the  amount  was  only 
about  eleven  dollars. 

"  That  will  do  to  begin  with,"  he  remarked.     w  I 


XV, 

GEAUGA  SEMINARY. 

N  the  fifth  day  of  March,  the  day  before 
the  school  opened,  James  and  his  cousins 
traveled  to  Chester,  on  foot,  quite  heavily 
loaded  with  cooking  utensils  and  provi 
sions.  The  distance  was  ten  mMes,  over  roads 
that  were  poor,  indeed,  at  that  season  of  the  year. 
They  carried  dippers,  plates,  a  knife  and  fork  each 
a  fry-pan,  kettle,  and  other  things  to  match,  with  a 
quantity  of  ham,  or  "  bacon,"  as  the  settlers  called 
it.  James  was  arrayed  in  the  suit  of  clothes  in 
which  he  appeared  before  Dr.  Robinson,  and  the 
other  boys  were  clad  about  ditto.  No  one  would 
have  charged  them  with  pride,  on  their  way  to  the 
"  Seminary."  At  this  day,  some  faithful  constable 
would  arrest  such  a  troupe  for  tramps,  who  had 
robbed  a  farmer's  kitchen  and  were  taking  "  leg-bail." 
Nevertheless,  they  were  as  three  as  jolly  boys  as  Cuy- 
ahoga  County  could  boast.  Their  errand  was 
nobler  and  grander  than  that  of  any  aspirant  who 
was  fishing  for  an  office  in  the  State  of  Ohio.  Why 
should  they  not  be  jolly  ? 


230  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

They  proceeded  directly  to  the  house  of  the  prin 
cipal,  Mr.  Daniel  Branch,  an  eccentric  man,  though 
a  very  respectable  scholar  in  some  departments. 

"We've  come  to  attend  your  school,"  said  James, 
addressing  himself  to  Mr.  Branch.  "  We  came 
from  Orange." 

"  What's  your  name?  "  inquired  the  principal. 

"J/y  name  is  James  A.  Garfield ;  and  these  are 
my  cousins  (turning  to  the  boys)  ;  their  names  are 
William  and  Henry  Boynton." 

"Well,  I'm  glad  to  see  you,  boys;  you  might  be 
engaged  in  much  worse  business  than  this.  I  sup 
pose  you  are  no  richer  than  most  of  the  scholars  we 
have  here." 

The  last  remark  of  Mr.  Branch  is  good  evidence 
that  he  had  surveyed  the  new-comers  from  head  to 
foot,  and  that  the  remark  was  prompted  by  their 
poor  apparel. 

"No,  sir,"  answered  James,  dryly;  "we  are  not 
loaded  down  with  gold  or  silver,  but  with  pots,  and 
kettles,  and  provisions  for  housekeeping." 

"  Going  to  board  yourselves,  then,"  replied  the 
teacher,  by  way  of  inquiry. 

"  Yes,  sir ;  can  you  tell  us  where  we  can  find  a 
room  ?  "  answered  James. 

"  Yes  ;  near  by,"  answered  Mr.  Branch  ;  "  a  good 
deal  of  that  business  is  done  here.  Scores  of  our 
boys  and  girls  would  never  stay  here  if  they  could  not 
board  themselves.  Look  here,"  and  stepping  out 
from  the  door-way  he  pointed  to  an  old,  unpainted 
house,  twenty  or  thirty  rods  away.  "  You  see  that 


GEAUGA   SEMINARY.  23! 

old  house  there,  do  you?"  he  said.  James  assented. 
"  I  think  you  will  find  a  room  there  ;  an  old  lady,  as 
poor  as  you  are,  lives  in  one  part  of  it.  You  will  go 
to  her  to  inquire." 

"Thank  you,  sir,  thank  you,"  repeated  the  boys, 
politely,  as  they  started  for  the  antique  habitation. 
They  found  the  old  lady,  and  hired  a  room,  for  a 
pittance,  in  .which  there  were  a  fireplace,  three  old 
chairs,  that  corresponded  with  the  building,  and  two 
beds  on  the  floor,  or  what,  the  good  woman  of  the 
house  was  bold  enough  to  call  beds.  Here  they 
unpacked  their  goods,  and  set  up  housekeeping  by 
cooking  their  first  meal. 

The  "Geauga  Seminary"  was  a  Free-will  Baptist 
institution,  in  quite  a  flourishing  condition,  having  a 
hundred  students,  of  both  sexes,  drawn  thither  from 
the  towns  in  that  region.  The  town  in  which  it 
was  located,  Chester,  was  small,  but  pleasant,  the 
academy  furnishing  the  only  atti  action  of  the  place. 

School  opened,  and  James  devoted  himself  to 
grammar,  natural  philosophy,  arithmetic,  and  al 
gebra.  He-  had  never  seen  but  one  algebra  before 
he  purchased  the  one  he  used.  The  principal  ad 
vised  him  to  take  this  course  of  study. 

It  was  a  new  scene  for  James,  a  school  of  one 
hundred  pupils,  male  and  female,  most  of  them  bet 
ter  clad  than  himself.  He  was  awkward  and  bash 
ful,  especially  in  the  presence  of  young  ladies, 
whom  he  regarded  as  far  superior  to  young  men  of 
the  same  age  and  attainments.  Still  he  broke  into 
the  routine  of  the  school  readily,  and  soon  was  un- 


232  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

der  full  headway,  like  a  new  vessel  with  every  sail 
set. 

Singularly  enough,  he  encountered  an  unexpected 
difficulty  in  the  grammar-class  within  a  very  few 
days. 

James  said,  "  but  is  a  conjunction." 

"  Not  so ;  but  is  a  verb>  and  means  be  out?  re 
plied  the  teacher. 

w  A  verb  !  but  a  verb  ?"  exclaimed  James,  in  re 
ply,  without  scarcely  thinking  that  he  was  calling 
the  teacher's  opinion  in  question.  He  had  Kirk- 
man's  grammar  at  his  command,  even  to  its  preface, 
which  he  could  glibly  repeat,  word  by  word  ;  and  he 
knew  that  but  was  a  conjunction,  according  to  Kirk- 
man,  and  all  the  teachers  whose  pupil  he  had  been. 
Could  his  teacher  be  joking,  or  did  he  make  a  blun 
der? 

"  Yes ;  but  is  a  verb,  no  matter  what  the  books 
say,  young  man ;  whose  grammar  have  you 
studied?"  the  teacher  answered. 

"  Kirkman's,"  replied  James. 

"  Kirkman  !  and  he  is  just  like  all  the  rest  of 
them,  wrong  from  beginning  to  end,"  said  Mr. 
Branch.  "  That's  not  the  grammar  you  will  learn 
in  this  school,  I  can  tell  you,  by  any  means.  I 
teach  a  grammar  of  my  own,  the  grammar  of  com 
mon  sense." 

James  thought  it  was  the  grammar  of  nonsense, 
though  he  did  not  say  so.  At  that  time  he  did  not 
know  that  Mr.  Branch  was  at  war  with  all  the 


GEAUGA    SEMINARY. 


233 


grammarians,  and   had  introduced  a  system  of  in 
struction  in  that  study  peculiarly  his  own. 

"Besides  Kirkman,  all  the  teachers  I  ever  had 
have  called  but  a  conjunction,"  added  James,  di 
rectly  impl}Ting  that  he  did  not  accept  Branch's 
grammar. 

"  You  don't  believe  it,  I  clearly  see,  young  man  ; 
but  you  will  long  before  you  have  spent  twelve 
weeks  in  this  school,"  remarked  Mr.  Branch.  "You 
will  have  sense  enough  to  see  that  I  am  right,  and 
the  old  grammarians  wrong." 

"If  but  is  a  verb,  I  don't  see  why  and  is  not  a 
verb  also,"  remarked  James,  being  quite  inclined  to 
array  Kirkman  against  Branch. 

"  It  is  a  verb,  James  ;  and  is  a  verb,  I  want  you  to 
understand,  in  the  imperative  mood,  and  means  add, 
that  is  all  there  is  to  it,"  was  the  emphatic  answer 
of  Mr.  Branch. 

James  looked  at  the  boys,  and  smiled  in  his  know 
ing  way.  The  teacher  saw  the  unbelief  which  per 
vaded  that  look,  and  he  continued, 

"See  here,  young  man,  and  does  something  more 
than  connect  two  things ;  it  adds.  I  want  to  speak 
of  you  and  Henry,  two  of  you  together,  and  I  say, 
James  and  Henry ;  that  is,  add  Henry  to  James : 
don't  you  see  it  now?  It  is  clear  as  daylight." 

There  was  no  daylight  in  it  to  James,  and  he  so 
expressed  himsqlf.  Each  day  brought  discussion  in 
the  class  between  the  principal  and  James.  The 
former's  system  of  grammar  was  all  of  a  piece  with 
and  and  but,  so  that  the  hour  for  the  grammar  class 


234  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

was  an  hour  of  contention,  very  spicy  to  the  mem 
bers  of  the  class,  but  rather  annoying  to  the  teacher. 
The  latter  was  not  long  in  discovering  that  he  had  a 
remarkable  scholar  in  James,  —  one  who  would  not 
receive  anything  on  trust,  or  without  the  most  sub 
stantial  reason  or  proof.  His  respect  for  James* 
talents  somewhat  reconciled  him  to  his  annoying 
contradictions. 

The  boys  had  much  sport  over  Branch's  gram 
mar  ;  we  mean  James  and  his  cousins. 

"If  but  is  a  verb,  then  but/rr  must  be  an  <zr/verb, 
since  it  only  adds  three  more  letters  and  one  more 
syllable,"  said  James. 

"  You  ought  to  have  told  him  so,"  replied  Henry  ; 
"it's  a  good  point:  it  is  carrying  out  his  system  ex 
actly." 

"  Not  much  system  about  it,  any  way,"  responded 
James,  "  but  a  good  deal  of  egotism  and  stubborn 
ness." 

"  You  can  be  as  stubborn  as  he  is,"  remarked 
Henry.  "He  don't  hardly  know  how  to  get  along 
with  Kirkman ;  it's  tough  for  him." 

We  will  not  follow  the  grammar  class.  It  should 
be  said,  however,  that  James  never  adopted  Branch's 

grammar.      lie  contended  against  it  so  long  as  he 
O  O 

continued  in  the  class ;  and  it  is  our  private  opin 
ion  that  the  author  of  Branch's  Grammar  was  well 
pleased  when  James  exchanged  it  for  another  study. 
The  boys  succeeded  tolerably  well  at  housekeep 
ing,  though  they  did  not  extract  quite  so  much  fun 
from  it  as  they  expected.  After  a  short  time,  they 


GEAUGA    SEMINAR}  235 

hired  the  old  lady  in  the  house  to  cook  some  of  their 
food.  -She  did  their  washing,  also.  It  was  only  a 
very  small  amount  they  paid  her  weekly.  Still, 
buying  his  books,  and  incurring  some  other  unavoid 
able  expenses,  James  saw  his  eleven  dollars  dwin 
dling  away  quite  rapidly. 

"  I  must  look  up  work,  or  I  shall  become  bankrupt 
soon,"  remarked  James.  "I  can  see  the  bottom  of 
my  purse  now,  almost." 

"  What  sort  of  work  do  you  expect  to  find  in  this 
little  place?"  inquired  William. 

"Carpenter's  work,  I  guess,"  answered  James. 
w  I've  had  my  eye  on  that  carpenter's  shop  yonder 
(pointing)  for  some  time.  They  seem  to  be  busy 
there.  I  never  lived  anywhere  yet  that  I  couldn't 
find  work  enough.  I  shall  try  them  to-morrow." 

"What  is  that  carpenter's  name?"  inquired  Wil 
liam. 

"Woodworth —  Heman  Woodworth.  I  have  had 
my  eye  on  him  for  some  time." 

Before  school,  on  the  following  morning,  James 
applied  to  Mr.  Woodworth  for  work. 

"What  do  you  know  about  this  business?"  Mr. 
Woodworth  inquired. 

"  I  have  worked  for  Mr.  Treat,  of  Orange,"  James 
replied. 

"  I  know  him  ;  what  can  you  do?  "  said  Mr.  Wood- 
worth  , 

"I  can  build  a  barn,  if  you  want  I  should,"  an 
swered  James,  laughingly.  "I  have  helped  in 
building  five  or  six  barns.  I  can  plane  for  you." 


236  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HObSE. 

'You  look  as  if  you  might  be  a  good,  strong  fel 
low  for  planing,"  continued  Mr.  Woodvvorth.  "You 
pay  your  own  way  at  school  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir ;  I  had  only  eleven  dollars  to  begin 
with,  and  that  won't  last  long." 

"Not  long,  I  shouldn't  think,  as  board  is  here." 

"  I  board  myself,"  added  James,  by  way  of  en 
lightening  the  carpenter. 

"Board  yourself?  That  is  rather  tough,  though 
many  do  it." 

"  Many  things  are  tougher  than  that,"  remarked 
James. 

"  Perhaps  so ;  but  that  is  tough  enough.  You 
may  come  over  after  school,  and  I'll  see  what  I  car? 
do  for  you." 

"  And  what  you  can  do  for  yourself,"  quickly  re 
sponded  James.  "If  I  can't  work  so  as  to  make  it 
an  object  for  you  to  hire  me,  then  I  don't  wish  to 
work  for  you.  I  don't  ask  you  to  let  me  have  work 
as  a  matter  of  charity." 

Mr.  Woodvvorth  admired  the  pluck  of  the  boy, 
and  he  repeated,  "Come  over  after  school,  and  I  will 
see  what  I  can  do  for  you." 

"I  can  work  two  or  three  hours  a  day,  and  all  day 
on  Saturdays ;  and  you  needn't  put  a  price  on  my 
work  until  you  see  what  I  can  do,"  added  James,  as 
he  turned  away. 

The  result  was  that  Mr.  Woodworth  hired  James, 
who  worked  at  the  shop  before  school  in  the  morn 
ing,  and  then  hurried  to  it  at  the  close  of  school,  at 
four  o'clock;  and,  on  Saturdays,  he  made  a  long 


CEAUGA   SEMINARY.  237 

day's  labor.  He  continued  this  method  through  the 
term,  denying  himself  of  the  games  and  sports  en 
joyed  by  the  scholars,  excepting  only  an  occasional 
hour.  No  boy  loved  a  pastime  better  than  he,  but 
to  pay  his  bills  was  more  important  than  sport.  At 
the  close  of  the  term  he  had  money  enough  to  pay 
all  his  bills,  and  between  two  and  three  dollars  to 
carry  home  with  him. 

One  of  the  chief  attractions  of  the  seminary  to 
James  was  its  library,  although  it  was  small.  It 
contained  only  one  hundred  and  fifty  volumes ;  but 
to  James  that  number  was  a  spectacle  to  behold.  He 
was  not  long  in  ascertaining  what  books  it  con 
tained ;  not  that  he  read  a  great  many  of  them,  for 
he  had  not  time ;  but  he  examined  the  library,  and 
found  it  destitute  of  books  of  the  "Jack  Halyard" 
style  ;  nor  was  he  sorry.  He  found  a  class  of  books 
just  suited  to  aid  students  like  himself  in  their  stud 
ies,  and  he  was  well  satisfied.  He  made  as  much 
use  of  them  as  possible  in  the  circumstances,  and 
often  read  far  into  the  night.  It  was  a  luxury  to 
him,  rather  than  a  self-denial,  to  extend  his  studies 
into  the  night,  in  order  to  be  perfect  in  his  lessons, 
and  secure  a  little  time  lor  reading. 

The  regulations  of  the  school  made  it  necessary 
for  James  to  write  a  composition  twice  a  month, 
sometimes  upon  a  subject  announced  by  the  Princi 
pal,  and  sometimes  upon  a  topic  of  his  own  selec 
tion.  Occasionally,  the  authors  of  the  essays  were 
required  to  read  them  to  the  whole  school,  from  the 
platform.  The  first  time  that  James  read  an  essay, 


238  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

he  trembled  more  than  he  did  before   rebel   cannon 
twelve  or  fourteen  years  thereafter. 

"Lucky  for  me,"  said  James  to  his  room  mates, 
"that  there  was  a  curtain  in  front  of  my  legs,"  al 
luding  to  a  narrow  curtain  on  the  edge  of  the  plat 
form. 

"  How  so?  "  inquired  William. 

"  No  one  could  see  my  legs  shake ;  you  would 
have  thought  they  had  the  shaking  palsy." 

"  I  never  would  have  thought  that  of  you  ?  "  added 
William. 

"  It's  true,  whether  you  thought  it  of  me  or  not.  I 
never  trembled  so  in  my  life." 

"  Then  you  was  scared?  "  remarked  William. 

"  I  guess  that  was  the  name  of  it,"  replied  James. 

"Your  essay  wan't  scared,  Jim;  it  was  capital," 
continued  William.  "I  should  be  willing  to  shake  a 
trifle,  if  I  could  write  such  an  essay.  Some  of  them 
were  astonished  that  such  a  suit  of  clothes  as  yours 
should  hide  such  a  production." 

".Much  obliged,"  answered  James  ;  "you  seem  to 
praise  my  essay  at  the  expense  of  my  clothing. 
can  afford  a  better  essay  than  suit  of  clothes.     It 
costs  only  thought  and  labor  to  produce  the  essay, 
but  it  costs  money  to  get  clothes." 

James  had  taken  from  the  library  the  "Life  of 
Henry  C.  Wright,"  and  had  become  deeply  inter 
ested  in  its  perusal.  He  learned  of  the  privations 
and  denials  of  Mr.  Wright,  as  well  as  his  methods 
in  acquiring  an  education ;  and  he  was  captivated 
by  the  spirit  of  the  man. 


GEAUGA   SEMINARY. 


239 


"We  can  live  cheaper  than  we  do,"  he  remarked 
to  his  cousins.  "  Another  term  we  must  adopt  Mr. 
Wright's  diet." 

"  What  was  that ! "  inquired  Henry. 

"Milk." 

"Nothing  but  milk?" 

"  Bread  and  milk  ;  a  milk  diet  wholly." 

"How  long?" 

"  Right  through  his  course  of  study." 

"Was  it  cheaper  than  we'  are  living  —  thirty-five 
cents  a  week,  apiece." 

"  Yes,  but  better  than  that,  it  was  healthier." 

"How  did  he  know  that?" 

"  Because  he  was  better  than  ever  before,  and  had 
a  clearer  head  for  study." 

"  It  may  not  suit  us,  though,"  remarked  William, 
who  had  been  listening  to  the  conversation. 

"We  shan't  know  till  we  try,"  answered  James. 
"  I  propose  to  try  it  next  term.  We  are  a  little  too 
extravagant  in  our  living  now;  we  must  cut  down 
our  expenses.  I  have  had  the  last  cent  that  I  shall 
take  from  my  friends.  I  shall  pay  my  own  way 
hereafter." 

"You  can't  do  it,"  said  Henry. 

"Then  I  will  quit  study.  I  know  I  can  do  it, 
My  mother  needs  all  the  money  she  can  get  without 
helping  me." 

"I  admire  your  pluck,"  added  Henry;  "but  I 
think  you  will  find  yourself  mistaken." 

"  As   I   am   earning  money  now,  I  can  pay  my 


240 


LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


way,"  continued  James ;  "  and  on  a  milk  diet  I  can 
scrimp  a  little  more." 

"  And  if  you  should  conclude  not  to  eat  anything, 
you  could  live  at  very  small  expense,"  retorted  Hen 
ry,  by  way  of  making  fun  of  his  milk  diet. 

"  Laugh  at  it  as  much  as  you  please,"  replied 
James  ;  "  meat  is  not  necessary  to  health,  I  am  satis 
fied  of  that.  There  is  more  nourishment  in  good 
bread  and  milk  than  there  is  in  roast-beef." 

"Well,  I  should  take  the  roast-beef  if  I  could  get 
it,"  interrupted  William.  "  Milk  for  babes ;  and  I 
am  not  a  baby." 

"  Milk  for  scholars,"  responded  James  ;  "  I  actu 
ally  believe  that  a  better  scholar  can  be  made  of 
milk  than  of  beef." 

"  If  you  will  say  *  bacon  '  instead  of  beef,  perhaps 
I  shall  agree  with  you,"  said  William,  playfully.  "I 
don't  think  that  bacon  can  produce  high  scholar 
ship." 

"Jim's  essay  was  made  out  of  it  chiefly,"  remarked 
Henry ;  "  that  was  scholarly.  Bacon  has  contrib 
uted  too  much  to  my  comfort  for  me  to  berate  it 
now." 

And  so  the  boys  treated  with  some  levity  a  subject 
over  which  James  became  an  enthusiast.  He  was 
thoroughly  taken  with  Mr.  Wright's  mode  of  living, 
and  thoroughly  resolved  to  adopt  it  the  next  term. 

The  Debating  Society,  also,  interested  James  very 
much ;  it  was  the  first  one  he  had  ever  become  ac 
quainted  with.  The  Principal  recommended  it  high 
ly  as  a  means  of  self-culture,  and  James  accepted 


GEAUGA  SEMINARY. 


24I 


his  recommendation  as  sound  and  pertinent.  He 
engaged  in  debate  hesitatingly  at  first,  as  if  he  had 
grave  doubts  of  his  ability  in  that  direction  ;  but  he 
soon  learned  to  value  the  Society  above  many  of  his. 
academical  privileges.  The  trial  of  his  powers  ir* 
debate  disclosed  a  facility  within  him  that  he  had 
not  dreamed  of.  He  possessed  a  ready  command  01" 
language,  could  easily  express  his  thoughts  upou 
any  question  under  discussion,  and  was  really  elo 
quent  for  one  so  ungainly  in  personal  appearance. 
He  studied  each  question  before  the  club  as  he 
would  study  a  lesson  in  Algebra,  determined  to  mas 
ter  it.  He  could  usually  find  books  in  the  library 
that  afforded  him  essential  aid  in  preparing  for  de 
bates,  so  that  he  appeared  before  the  school  always 
well  posted  upon  the  subject  in  hand.  His  familiar 
ity  with  them  often  evoked  remarks  of  surprise  from 
both  scholars  and  teachers.  It  was  here,  probably, 
that  he  laid  the  foundation  for  that  remarkable  abil 
ity  in  debate  that  has  distinguished  him  in  Congress 
during  the  last  fifteen  years.  He  began  by  prepar 
ing  himself  thoroughly  for  every  discussion,  and 
that  practice  has  continued  with  him  to  this  day.  It 
has  made  him  one  of  the  most  prompt,  brilliant,  and 
eloquent  disputants  in  the  national  legislature. 

It  was  not  strange  that  James  won  enviable  noto 
riety  in  the  Debating  Society  of  the  Geauga  Acad 
emy.  The  debates  became  important  and  attractive 
to  the  whole  school  because  he  was  a  disputant. 
Scholars  hung  upon  his  lips,  as  now  the  listening 
multitude  are  charmed  by  his  eloquence.  Teachers 
16 


242  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

and  pupils  began  very  soon  to  predict  for  him  a 
brilliant  future  as  a  public  speaker.  In  their  sur 
prise  and  admiration  of  the  young  orator  they  forgot 
the  jean  trousers,  that  were  too  short  for  his  limbs 
by  four  inches. 

Henry  Wilson  discovered  his  ability  to  express  his 
thoughts,  before  an  audience  in  the  village  Debating 
Society  of  Natick,  Mass.,  in  early  manhood.  Here 
he  subjected  himself  to  a  discipline  that  insured  his 
eminence  as  a  debater  in  Congress.  The  celebrated 
English  philanthropist  Buxton  had  no  thought  of 
becoming  an  orator  or  a  statesman,  until  he  learned, 
in  the  debating  society  of  the  school  which  he  at 
tended,  that  he  possessed  an  undeveloped  ability  for 
the  forum.  The  distinguished  English  statesman, 
Canning,  declared  that  he  qualified  himself  for  his 
public  career  in  the  school  of  his  youth,  where  the 
boys  organized  and  supported  a  mock  parliament, 
conducting  the  debates,  appointing  committees,  en 
forcing  rules,  and  pitting  one  party  against  the  other, 
precisely  as  was  done  by  Parliament.  In  like  man 
ner  the  hero  of  this  volume  really  began  his  dis 
tinguished  public  career  in  the  lyceum  of  Geauga 
Seminary. 


XVI. 

AFTER  VACATION. 

VACATION  of  two  months  in  the  sum 
mer  gave  James  ample  opportunity  for 
manual  labor.  Thomas  was  at  home,  and 
he  decided  to  build  a  frame  barn  for  his 
mother.  He  could  have  the  assistance  of  James, 
who  really  knew  more  about  barn  -  building  than 
Thomas  did. 

"  I  s'pose  you  can  frame  it,  Jim,"  said  Thomas. 
"  I  suppose  that  I  can,  if  Algebra  and  Philosophy 
have  not  driven  out  all  I  learned  of  the  business." 

"You  can  try  your  hand  at  it,  then.  I  should 
think  that  Algebra  and  Philosophy  would  help  rather 
than  hinder  barn-bailding,"  added  Thomas. 

"  Precious  little  they  have  to  do  with  barns,  I  tell 
you,"  responded  James.  "They  are  taking  studies, 
though." 

"  It  won't  take  you  long  to  find  out  what  you  can 
do,"  continued  Thomas  ;  "  it  spoils  some  boys  to  go 
to  school  too  much." 

Thomas  had  prepared  sufficient  lumber  when  he 

243 


244  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

was  at  home,  at  different  times,  for  the  barn.  It 
was  all  ready  to  be  worked  into  the  building ;  and 
the  brothers  proceeded  to  the  task  resolutely,  James 
leading  off  in  framing  it.  No  outside  help  was 
called  in,  Thomas  and  James  considering  themselves 
equal  to  the  task. 

We  need  not  delay  to  record  the  details  of  the  job. 
It  will  answer  our  purpose  to  add,  simply,  that  the 
barn  was  built  by  the  brothers,  and  thus  one  more 
convenience  was  added  for  the  comfort  of  their 
mother.  The  day  of  lo£  buildings  was  now  over  to 

J  c3  O 

the  Garfield  family.  Times  had  wonderfully  changed 
since  Mr.  Garfield  died,  and  the  population  of  the 
township  had  increased,  so  that  "the  wilderness  and 
solitary  place  "  had  disappeared. 

As  soon  as  the  barn  was  completed,  James  sought 
work  elsewhere  among  the  farmers.  He  must  earn 
some  money  before  returning  to  Chester,  for  a  por 
tion  of  his  doctor's  bill  remained  unpaid,  and  then,  a 
new  suit  of  clothes,  shirts,  and  other  things,  would 
require  quite  an  outlay. 

He  found  a  farmer  behind  time  in  getting  his  hay. 

"Yes,  I  want  you,"  the  farmer  said  ;  "and  I  wish 
you  had  been  here  two  weeks  ago  :  it  seems  as  if 
haying  would  hold  out  all  summer." 

"You  are  rather  behind  time,  I  judge,"  replied 
James.  "  Better  late  than  never,  though." 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,  James.  I  rather  have 
it  read,  better  never  late"  remarked  the  sensible 
man. 

"That  is  my  rule,"  answered  James.     "At  school 


AFTER    VACATION. 


245 


we  are  obliged  to  be  on  time.  Tardiness  is  not 
allowable." 

"  It  never  should  be  allowed  anywhere.  It  seems 
as  if  we  can  never  catch  up  when  we  once  get  be 
hind,"  continued  the  farmer ;  "  and  then  there  is  no 
comfort  in  it.  It  keeps  one  in  torment  all  the  while 
to  feel  that  he  is  behindhand  :  I  don't  like  it." 

"  Neither  do  I,"  answered  James.  "  It  is  worse 
to  be  behindhand  in  school  than  it  is  on  a  farm, 
much  worse,  I  think.  A  scholar  behind  his  class  is 
an  object  of  pity." 

The  farm-work  did  not  continue  behindhand  long, 
however.  The  remainder  of  the  haying  was  accom 
plished  in  a  week,  and  James  had  opportunity  for 
other  jobs.  He  found  work  clear  up  to  the  close  of 
his  vacation,  not  "having  even  a  day  for  pastime. 
Thus  he  was  able  to  pay  off  his  doctor's  bill,  provide 
a  better  outfit  for  another  school  term  than  he  had 
the  first  term,  and  to  aid  his  mother  also. 

James  was  not  idle  during  the  evenings  of  his 
vacation.  Algebra  occupied  a  portion  of  his  time; 
and  two  or  three  reading  books  which  he  brought 
from  the  Chester  library  beguiled  many  of  his  even 
ing  hours.  If  he  had  any  leisure  hours  during  his 
vacation,  they  were  not  idle  hours.  Every  hour 
told  upon  the  new  purpose  of  his  life.  He  had 
ceased  to  talk  about  going  to  sea,  or  even  coasting 
on  Lake  Erie,  in  his  enthusiasm  for  an  education. 
His  mother,  of  course,  never  reverted  to  the  subject, 
and  she  was  rejoiced  to  find  that  James  was  aspiring 
after  something  higher  and  nobler.  He  was  too 


246  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

much  absorbed  in  his  course  of  study  to  talk  about 
a  sea-faring  life,  or  even  to  think  about  it. 

"  I  wish  you  had  some  money  to  take  back  with 
you,  James,"  remarked  his  mother,  the  day  before 
he  left  for  the  seminary. 

"I  don't  know  as  I  care  for  more","  answered 
James.  "I  have  a  ninepence^  (showing  the  bit,  and 
laughing,)  and  that  will  go  as  far  as  it  is  possible  for 
a  ninepence  to  go.  I  have  it  all  arranged  to  work 
for  Mr.  Wood  worth,  out  of  school,  and  I  can  easily 
pay  my  way." 

"  That  may  be  true ;  but  a  few  dollars  to  begin 
the  term  with  would  be  very  convenient,"  responded 
Mrs.  Garfield. 

"  Better  begin  with  nothing  and  end  with  some 
thing,  than  to  begin  with  something  and  end  with 
nothing,"  added  James. 

"I  suppose,  then,  that  you  expect  to  end  the  term 
with  more  money  than  you  begin  it  with?"  said  his 
mother,  inquiringly. 

"Yes,  I  do;  for  I  shall  want  a  little  change  in 
my  pocket  in  the  winter,  if  I  teach  school,"  replied 
James. 

"  Then  you  really  expect  to  be  qualified  to  teach 
school  next  winter,  do  you?  " 

"  I  design  to ;  perhaps  I  shall  be  disappointed, 
though." 

"I  hope  not,"  continued  his  mother.  "By teach 
ing  school  in  the  winter  you  can  get  together  money 
enough  to  pay  your  school  bills  all  the  rest  of  the 
year ;  and  that  will  make  it  easy  for  you.  I  want  to 


AFTER    VACATION. 


247 


see  you  able  to  earn  enough  in  winter  to  pay  all  your 
school  bills,  so  that  you  will  not  be  obliged  to  work 
before  and  after  school  to  earn  money." 

w  I  don't  expect  to  see  that  time,  mother.  I  am 
content  to  work  my  way  along  as  I  have  done,"  was 
James'  brave  reply.  "  Nobody  can  be  healthier  than 
I  am  ;  so  that  it  don't  wear  upon  me  much." 

James  returned  to  Geauga  Seminary  at  the  open 
ing  of  the  fall  term,  with  the  solitary  ninepence  in 
his  pocket.  He  playfully  -suggested  to  Henry  that 
"  the  bit  must  be  very  lonesome,"  and  thought  he 
might  provide  a  "  companion  "  for  it  ere  long.  The 
circumstances  remind  us  of  the  experience  of  the 
late  Horace  Mann,  of  Massachusetts.  Born  in  pov 
erty,  though  not  so  poor  as  James,  he  had  little  hope 
of  gratifying  his  'strong  desire  for  an  education. 
Providence,  however,  opened  the  way  for  him  to 
prepare  for  college,  which  he  did  in  six  months,  not 
knowing  whether  he  would  be  able  to  enter  or  not. 
By  dint  of  perseverance  he  scraped  together  money 
enough  to  get  him  into  college,  although  he  could 
not  tell  where  the  money  was  coming  from  to  keep 
him  there.  After  a  few  weeks  he  wrote  to  his  sister, 
"  My  last  two  ninepences  parted  company  some  days 
ago,  and  there  is  no  prospect  of  their  ever  meeting 
again."  That  is,  he  had  a  solitary  ninepence  in  his 
pocket. 

On  the  Sabbath  after  James*  return  to  the  semi 
nary  he  was  at  public  worship,  when  the  contribu 
tion-box  was  passed  through  the  audience.  Whether 
James'  sympathy  for  the  lonely  bit  in  his  pocket  got 


248  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

the  better  of  his  judgment,  or  whether  it  was  the 
generosity  of  his  soul,  (we  suspect  it  was  the  latter,) 
he  dropped  the  ninepence  into  the  box,  thereby  cre 
ating  as  great  an  emptiness  as  possible  in  his  pocket. 
He  was  now  upon  an  equality  with  the  widow  of  the 
Scriptures,  who  cast  her  two  mites  (all  she  had)  into 
the  treasury  of  the  Lord. 

James  and  his  cousins  boarded  themselves  during 
the  fall  term,  adopting  Wright's  milk  diet  at  first, 
thereby  reducing  their  expenses  a  very  little,  though 
not  much. 

"Just  thirty-one  cents  each,  per  week,"  remarked 
James,  after  the  trial  of  that  method  of  living  four 
weeks.  He  had  kept  a  careful  account,  and  now 
found  the  result  to  be  as  indicated. 

"I  feel  as  if  it  had  not  cost  us  more  than  that,' 
answered  Henry.  "  My  physical  constitution  is  re 
duced  quite  as  much  as  our  expenses,  I  think." 
He  said  this  humorously  in  part,  although  he  was 
not  much  captivated  with  their  mode  of  living. 

"  That  which  costs  the  least  is  not  always  the 
cheapest,"  remarked  William,  whose  opinions  coin 
cided  with  those  of  his  brother.  "/  feel  as  if  we 
were  having  pretty  cheap  living ;"  and  he  empha 
sized  the  word  cheap  in  his  peculiar  way. 

"Well,  I  feel  as  if  I  had  been  living  on  the  fat 
of  the  land,"  responded  James.  "I  think  I  could 
handle  you  both,"  he  added,  laughingly. 

"There's  no  doubt  of  it,"  replied  Henry;  "you 
would  grow  fat  on  sawdust  pudding,  only  have 


AFTER    VACATION.  249 

enough  of  it ;  but  this  sticking  to  one  article  of  diet 
right  along  don't  suit  me." 

"  You  are  one  of  the  philosophers  who  maintain 
that  f  variety  is  the  spice  of  life,'  in  eating  as  well  as  in 
pleasure,  I  suppose,"  answered  James.  "For  my 
part,  one  thing  at  a  time  will  do  for  me,  if  it  is  only 
good  enough." 

"  I  don't  know  of  one  thing  alone  that  is  good 
enough  for  me,"  remarked  Henry.  "I  go  for  in 
creasing  our  expenses  a  little.  We  can  go  up  to  fifty 
cents  a  week  without  damaging  anybody." 

"That's  what  I  think,"  added  William.  «  I  think 
I  can  be  pretty  well  satisfied  with  that." 

"Just  as  you  choose,  boys ;  I  can  make  way  with 
nineteen  cents'  worth  of  luxuries  more,  in  case  of 
necessity,"  replied  James.  "Sawdust  pudding  or 
plum  pudding  is  all  the  same  to  me ;  I  can  thrive 
on  either." 

"Now,  Jim,"  said  Henry,  very  philosophically, 
"I  believe,  after  all,  that  you  are  as  anxious  as  we 
•are  for  better  living,  only  you  don't  want  to  own  it, 
and  back  down.  You  are  the  last  fellow  to  back  out 
of  anything."  Henry  was  about  right  in  his  remark. 
James  was  not  at  all  unwilling  to  adopt  a  more  ex 
pensive  fare,  although  his  iron  will  would  carry  him 
through  his  work  with  almost  any  sort  of  diet.  His 
health  was  so  robust,  and  his  power  of  endurance  so 
great,  that  he  could  eat  much  or  little,  apparently, 
and  thrive. 

The  upshot  of  this  interview  was,  that  James  as 
sented  to  the  increase  of  expenses  to  fifty  cents  per 


250  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 


week,  each.  Milk  was  continued  chiefly  as  their 
diet,  but  other  things  were  added  for  variety.  The 
last  half  of  the  term  their  board  cost  them  fifty  cents 
per  week. 

James  had  never  spoken  with  the  principal  about 
becoming  a  teacher,  although  he  was  intending  to 
do  it.  But  Mr.  Branch  opened  the  subject  about 
the  middle  of  the  term.  He  well  knew  the  pov 
erty  of  James,  and  took  additional  interest  in  him 
for  that  reason.  He  felt  that  a  youth  of  his  talents 
ought  to  acquire  an  education  ;  and  he  could  see  no 
better  way  of  accomplishing  it  than  by  teaching 
school  in  the  winter. 

w  How  would  you  like  to  try  your  hand  at  school- 
keeping,  James?"  inquired  Mr.  Branch. 

"  I  intend  to  try  my  hand  at  it  next  winter,  if  I 
can  get  a  school,"  answered  James.  "  My  mother 
has  always  said  that  1  could  get  an  education  if  I 
would  qualify  myself  to  teach  school." 

"  A  good  plan,  James  ;  I  agree  with  jour  mother, 
exactly.  Glad  to  see  that  you  mind  your  mother, 
for  such  boys  usually  come  out  all  right."  Mr. 
Branch  was  in  a  happy  frame  of  mind  when  he  said 
this,  and  his  real  kindness  to  James  appeared  in 
every  word. 

"Then, "he  continued,  "  what  is  better  than  all, 
you  can  do  a  great  deal  of  good  by  teaching  school. 
You  will  not  only  find  it  the  best  way  to  help  your 
self,  but  you  will  find  it  the  best  way  to  help  others ; 
and  that  is  the  highest  of  all  considerations.  We 
don't  live  for  ourselves  in  this  world,  or  ought  not 


AFTER   VACATION. 


to  live  for  ourselves  alone.  That  is  too  selfish  and 
contemptible  to  be  tolerated." 

"  Do  you  think  I  can  obtain  a  school,  without 
any  doubt?"  inquired  James. 

"  Unquestionably,"  answered  Mr.  Branch.  "Teach 
ers  are  more  numerous  than  they  were  ten  years  ago, 
and  so  it  is  with  schools.  More  than  that,  I  think 
you  will  succeed  in  the  business.  Every  one  will 
not  be  successful  in  the  calling." 

"Why  do  you  think  I  shall  succeed?"  asked 
James,  who  was  curious  to  understand  what  partic 
ular  qualities  would  win  in  the  school-house. 

"  You  will  be  well  qualified  ;  that  is  one  thing. 
You  possess  ability  to  express  your  thoughts  readily  ; 
that  is  very  important  for  a  teacher.  Your  mind  is 
discriminating  and  sharp,  to  analyze  and  see  the 
reason  of  things  ;  that  is  also  an  indispensable  quali 
fication  for  a  successful  teacher.  You  will  govern 
a  school  well,  I  think,  without  much  trouble.  A 
young  man  who  is  popular  with  associates  in  study 
usually  makes  a  good  teacher."  This  was  the  hon 
est  reply  of  the  principal  to  the  last  inquiry  of  James  ; 
all  of  which  was  a  substantial  encouragement  to  the 
latter.  He  began  to  look  forward  to  the  new  occu 
pation  with  much  pleasure. 

One  incident  occurred  at  this  term  of  school,  relat 
ing  to  its  discipline,  in  which  James  played  a  conspic 
uous  part.  At  that  time  there  were  about  as  many 
rogues  in  a  school  of  one  hundred  pupils  as  there 
are  to-day.  Human  nature  averaged  about  as  it 
does  now  among  pupils.  There  was  the  same  need 


252  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

of  wise  government  and  watchfulness,  on  the  part  of 
the  principal,  to  maintain  order.  In  this  respect, 
the  principal  was  well  qualified  for  his  position ; 
and  roguish  pupils  could  not  rebel  against  his  gov 
ernment  with  impunity.  This  was  quite  well  un 
derstood  ;  and  still  there  were  occasional  scrapes, 
in  which  a  class  of  pupils  engaged  as  the  best  way, 
in  their  estimation,  to  dispose  of  a  surplus  fund  of 
animal  spirits. 

A  youth  of  considerable  pertness  insulted  one  of 
the  town's  people,  and  it  came  to  the  ear  of  the  prin 
cipal.  Indeed,  the  citizen  entered  a  complaint 
against  the  pupil,  rehearsing  the  facts  to  Mr. 
Branch.  The  credit  of  the  school,  and  the  credit 
of  the  principal  himself,  demanded  that  he  should 
take  notice  of  the  matter,  rebuke  the  act,  and  lec 
ture  the  whole  school,  that  there  might  not  be  a 
repetition  of  the  act. 

As  often  happens  in  large  schools,  the  pupils  took 
sides  with  the  author  of  the  naughty  deed.  The 
sympathies  of  young  people,  especially  in  school, 
unite  them  together  as  by  strong  cords.  Without 
regard  to  the  merits  of  the  case,  they  decide  for  the 
accused  party,  and  sustain  him. 

ff  If  Bell  goes,  I  go,"  exclaimed  one  of  the  boys, 
meaning,  that  if  the  principal  expelled  Bell,  he 
would  be  one  to  leave  the  school,  also.  The  fact 
shows  that  feeling  played  a  more  prominent  part  in 
the  affair  than  judgment. 

"  And  I'll  be  another  to  go,"  answered  a  smart 
young  fellow  ;  that  is,  smart  in  his  own  estimation. 


AFTER    VACATION. 


253 


"Will  you  take  me  along  with  you?"  asked  a 
third,  who  was  more  disposed  to  show  humor  than 
passion.  "  I'll  add  one  to  the  company." 

"Me,  too!"  exclaimed  a  fourth.  "Put  me  down 
for  that  scrape.  A  great  many  folks  think  that 
school-boys  have  no  rights." 

In  this  way  the  subject  was  discussed  among  a 
class  of  the  boys,  and  even  some  girls  signified  a 
willingness  to  express  their  indignation  in  some  such 
way  as  that  proposed.  It  was  claimed  that  as  many 
as  "  twenty "  pupils  would  quit  school  if  Bell  was 
expelled.  But  when,  at  last,  they  came  around  to 
James  with  their  proposition,  they  met  with  a  serious 
embarrassment. 

"  Why  should  I  leave  the  school  because  another 
fellow  is  sent  away  ?  "  answered  James.  "  Can  you 
tell  m»?" 

Of  course  they  could  not  give  a  reason  why  he 
should.  One  boy  did  venture  to  reply, 

"  We  want  to  show  our  indignation." 

"  Indignation  about  what?  "  asked  James. 

"  At  sending-Bell  away." 

"  But  he  is  not  sent  away  yet,  and  he  may  not  be." 

"Well,  I  don't  believe  in  treating  a  fellow  so." 

r  How  ?  "  persisted  James. 

*'  Why,  call  a  fellow  up,  and  make  such  a  touse 
over  his  way  of  speaking  to  a  man." 

"How  did  he  speak?" 

"  The  citizen  claims  that  he  insulted  him.  But 
that's  not  the  thing  for  us  boys  to  look  at;  we  ought 
to  stand  by  our  fellows." 


254  LOG-CABIN   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"Stand  by  them,  right  or  wrong?"  inquired 
James. 

"Yes,  if  necessary." 

"Well,  I  shall  not,"  answered  James,  emphatically. 
"  If  one  of  our  fellows  gets  into  a  scrape  I  will  not 
help  him  out  unless  it  can  be  done  honorably ;  you 
can  depend  on  that." 

"I  think  it  is  mean,"  continued  the  boy,  "fora 
citizen  to  complain  of  a  scholar  just  because  he  did 
not  use  his  tongue  quite  right." 

w  I  don't  agree  with  you,"  answered  James  ;  "Bell 
ought  to  use  his  tongue  as  well  as  he  does  his  hands, 
for  all  that  I  can  see  ;  and  if  it  gets  him  into  trouble, 
he  has  no  one  to  blame  except  himself." 

"That  may  all  be  true,"  added  Bell's  persistent 
friend ;  "  but  if  he  gets  into  trouble  thoughtlessly,  I 
am  willing  to  help  him  out." 

"So  am  I,"  quickly  responded  James,  "provided 
he  is  sorry,  and  is  willing  to  be  helped  out  of  it  in  a 
proper  way." 

"  I  suppose  by  that,  you  have  not  a  good  opinion 
of  our  method  of  helping  him?" 

"  No,  I  have  not.  If  Bell  will  apologize  to  the 
citizen,  and  signify  to  Mr.  Branch  that  he  is  sorry, 
and  will  not  repeat  the  insult,  I  will  be  among  the 
first  to  intercede  for  him  ;  but  he  must  help  himself 
before  I  am  willing  to  help  him." 

This  ended  the  proposed  rebellion  in  school.  Bell 
did  make  all  suitable  amends  for  his  misconduct, 
and  remained  in  the  school.  The  incident  illustrates 
a  prominent  trait  of  character  in  James  thus  far 


AFTER    VACATION.  2$$ 

through  his  life.  He  had  an  opinion  of  his  own,  and 
maintained  it,  in  his  youth,  as  he  has  done  in  later 
life.  He  would  not  knowingly  defend  even  a  school- 
companiorrin  wrong-doing.  He  repudiated  the  so- 
called  "code  of  honor  "  in  schools,  requiring  boys  to 
support  each  other,  whether  right  or  wrong. 

The  fall  term  was  a  very  profitable  one  to  James. 
His  scholarship  became  fully  established.  He  led 
the  school  in  talents  and  progress.  He  paid  all  his 
bills,  also,  by  his  daily  labor  in  the  carpenter's  shop, 
and  had  several  dollars  left  for  pocket-money  at  the 
close  of  the  term. 


XVII. 

KEEPING   SCHOOL. 

|HE  next  day  after  James  reached  home,  at 
the  close  of  the  term,  he  started  out  to 
find  a  situation  as  teacher. 

"When  will  you  return?"  inquired  his 
mother. 

"  When  I  get  a  school.  Somehow  I  feel  as  if  it 
would  be  a  hard  matter  to  get  a  school." 

"  I  hope  not,  my  son,"  answered  his  mother,  re 
joicing  in  her  heart  that  James  was  going  to  be  a 
teacher,  and  not  a  sailor. 

"  /  hope  not,"  responded  James ;  "  but  I  don't 
seem  to  feel  as  elated  over  the  prospect  as  I  did 
once.  I  shall  do  my  best,  however,  and  I  may  be 
gone  several  days." 

James  took  the  most  favorable  route,  on  foot,  and 
made  his  first  application  about  ten  miles  from 
home. 

"  You  are  too  young,"  replied  the  committee  to  his 
application;  "we  don't  want  a  boy  to  teach  our 
school." 

256 


KEEPING  SCHOOL. 


257 


"  I  have  a  recommendation  from  Mr.  Branch, 
Principal  of  the  Geauga  Seminary ;  "  and  he  pro 
ceeded  to  exhibit  his  testimonials. 

"No  matter  about  that,"  replied  the  committee- 
man.  "No  doubt  you  know  enough,  but  you  can't 
make  yourself  any  older  than  you  be ;  that's  the 
trouble.  We've  had  boys  enough  keep  our  school." 

This  was  quite  a  damper  upon  the  ardor  of  James  ; 
and  he  left  the  man,  and  continued  his  journey,  re 
flecting  upon  the  value  of  age  to  pedagogues. 

The  next  school  district  that  he  reached  had  en 
gaged  a  teacher. 

"  If  you  had  come  a  week  ago,  I'd  hired  yer,"  the 
man  said. 

It  was  encouraging  to  James  that  he  had  found  a 
district  where  age  was  not  an  absolute  requirement. 
He  thought  better  of  youth  now. 

"Possibly  in  the  Norton  District  they've  not  a 
teacher  yet,"  the  man  added. 

"Where's  that?"  inquired  James. 

"  About  three  miles  north  of  here,"  pointing  with 
his  finger.  "  Go  to  Mr.  Nelson ;  he's  the  man  you 
want  ter  see.  He'll  hire  yer,  if  he's  no  teacher." 

James  posted  away  to  the  Norton  District,  and 
found  Mr.  Nelson,  just  about  dark. 

"Just  found  a  teacher,  young  man,  and  hired 
him,"  Mr.  Nelson  said.  "  Can't  very  well  hire  an 
other." 

"  Of  course  not,"  answered  James  ;  "  and  perhap} 
the  one  you  hired  needs  the  chance  as  much  as  I  do,* 

"  Perhaps  so ;  he's  trying  to  get  an  education." 

17 


258  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

"So  am  I,"  responded  James. 

"  Where?" 

"  At  Geauga  Seminary." 

"Ah  !  we  had  a  teacher  from  that  seminary  two 
years  ago,  and  he  was  as  good  a  teacher  as  we  ever 
had." 

"That  is  fortunate  for  me,"  remarked  James, 
pleasantly.  "  If  he  had  not  proved  a  good  teacher 
you  would  not  want  another  from  that  institution." 

"Very  like,"  replied  Mr.  Nelson.  "But  come, 
you  can't  look  after  any  more  schools  to-night ;  it  is 
getting  dark.  Come  in,  and  stop  over  night  with  us." 

James  accepted  the  cordial  invitation,  stopped 
with  the  family  over  night,  and,  on  the  following 
day,  continued  his  school-hunting  trip.  But  he  did 
not  find  a  school.  He  met  with  one  committee-man 
who  declined  to  hire  him  because  "We  had  one 
feller  from  Gaga  Siminary,  and  he  made  sich  a 
botch  of  it  that  we  don't  want  another." 

After  two  days  of  hard  work  in  the  vain  search 
for  a  school,  James  reached  home  more  thoroughly 
discouraged  than  his  mother  ever  knew  him  to  be 
before. 

"  It  is  impossible  to  find  a  school ;  most  of  them 
have  teachers  engaged,"  said  James.  And  he  gave 
a  full  account  of  his  travels  and  disappointments. 

"  Perhaps  the  Lord  has  something  better  for  you 
in  store,  James,"  answered  his  mother.  "It  is  not 
best  for  you  to  be  discouraged,  after  you  have  over 
come  so  many  obstacles." 

James  did  not  tell  his  mother  that  if  the  Lord  had 


KEEPING  SCHOOL. 


259 


anything  better  in  store  for  him  he  would  be  obliged 
if  he  would  make  it  known ;  but  he  thought  so. 

"  You  are  tired  enough  to  go  to  bed,"  added  his 
mother ;  "  and  to-morrow  you  can  talk  with  your 
Uncle  Amos  about  it." 

Uncle  Amos  was  their  counsellor  in  all  times  of 
trial ;  and  James  accepted  the  suggestion  as  a  kind 
of  solace,  and  retired. 

The  next  morning,  before  he  was  up,  he  heard  a 
man  call  to  his  mother  from  the  road. 

"Widow  Garfield!" 

She  responded  by  going  to  the  door. 

"  Where's  your  boy,  Jim  !  " 

"  He  is  at  home.  He  is  not  up  yet,"  Mrs.  Garfield 
replied,  a  little  curious  10  know  what  he  wanted  of 
James  so  early  in  the  morning. 

"I  wonder  if  he'd  like  to  keep  our  school  at  the 
Ledge  this  winter,"  the  man  continued. 

James  bounded  out  of  bed  at  the  sound  of  the  word 
school,  beginning  to  think  that  Providence  had  sent 
a"n  angel,  in  the  shape  of  a  man,  to  bring  the  M  some 
thing  better, "which  his  mother  told  about.  He  stood 
face  to  face  with  the  man  in  an  incredibly  brief  pe 
riod.  The  caller  was  a  well-known  neighbor,  living 
only  a  mile  away,  and  the  school  for  which  he  wanted 
a  teacher  was  not  much  further  than  that. 

"  How  is  it,  Jim  ;  will  you  keep  our  school  at  the 
Ledge  this  winter?"  he  inquired. 

"I  want  a  school,"  was  James'  indirect  reply.  He 
knew  the  character  of  the  school,  —  that  it  was 
rough  and  boisterous,  —  and  he  hesitated. 


260  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"Reg'lar  set  of  barbarians,  you  know,  Jim,  down 
there,"  the  man  continued. 

"Yes;  I  know  it  is  a  hard  school  to  teach.  Do 
you  think  I  can  manage  it?  All  the  scholars  know 
me."  This  reply  of  James  showed  what  thoughts 
were  passing  through  his  mind.  The  committee- 
man  replied  : 

"  They  all  know  you,  of  course,  and  they  know 
that  you  can  lick  the  whole  of  them  without  any 
trouble,  if  you  set  about  it;  and  you  are  just  the 
chap  to  run  the  school.  The  boys  have  driven  out 
the  master  for  two  winters  now  ;  and  I  want  some 
body  to  control  the  school  this  winter,  if  he  don't  do 
a  thing  but  stand  over  them  with  a  cane.  A  thrash 
ing  all  round  would  do  them  an  immense  amount  of 
good.  Now,  what  do  you  say?  Give  you  twelve 
dollars  a  month  and  board." 

This  portrayal  of  the  character  of  the  school 
rather  discouraged  James  than  otherwise ;  but  his 
mother  spoke,  by  way  of  helping  him  out  of  the 
difficulty  : 

"  This  is  an  unexpected  call  to  James,  and  he  bet 
ter  consider  it  to-day,  and  let  you  know  his  decision 
to-night." 

"  I  will  do  that,"  said  James. 

"  That  will  answer  ;  but  I  hope  you  won't  fail  me," 
the  man  responded,  and  drove  off. 

"Go  over  and  consult  your  uncle  Amos  after 
breakfast,"  advised  his  mother.  "  It  is  a  very  diffi 
cult  school  to  undertake  for  the  first  one." 

w  I  should  prefer  to  teach  among  strangers,  at  least 


KEEPING  SCHOOL.  26 1 

my  first  school,"  responded  James.  "  Do  you  think 
this  is  the  '  something  better '  Providence  had  in 
store  for  me?  " 

w  Perhaps  so.  If  you  should  be  successful  in  this 
school,  your  reputation  as  a  teacher  would  be  estab 
lished  ;  you  would  have  no  more  trouble  in  finding 
schools  to  keep." 

"  I  see  that ;  and  still,  if  I  had  a  chance  to  take  a 
school  among  strangers  I  should  decline  this  one," 
said  James. 

"  Perhaps  that  is  the  very  reason  you  did  not  find 
a  school.  Providence  means  you  shall  take  this 
one.  I  really  think,  James,  that  this  is  the  correct 
view  of  the  case." 

James  could  not  suppress  a  laugh  over  this  turn 
of  affairs  ;  nor  could  he  fail  to  respect  his  mother's 
moral  philosophy.  He  really  began  to  think  that 
Providence  was  forcing  him  to  take  this  school,  and 
he  mentally  decided  to  take  it  before  he  saw  Uncle 
Amos. 

"Tough  school,"  remarked  Uncle  Amos,  when 
James  sought  his  advice.  "  Those  rough  fellows 
have  had  their  way  so  long  in  school  that  it  will  be 
a  hard  matter  to  bring  them  into  subjection.  How 
do  you  feel  about  it  yourself?  " 

"  I  would  prefer  to  teach  where  the  scholars  are 
not  acquainted  with  me,"  replied  James. 

"  That  might  make  a  difference  with  some  teach 
ers,  James  ;  but  the  boys  have  nothing  against  you. 
Perhaps  they  will  behave  better  because  they  know 


262  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

you  so  well.  I  think  they  respect  you,  and  that  will 
be  a  great  help." 

"Then  you  think  I  had  better  teach  the  school?" 
remarked  James,  understanding  the  drift  of  his  un 
cle's  remarks  to  mean  that. 

"  On  the  whole,  I  am  inclined  to  think  you  had 
better  teach  the  school." 

"  If  I  had  an  opportunity  to  teach  a  better  school, 
you  would  not  advise  me  to  take  the  one  at  the 
Ledge :  I  understand  you  to  mean  this." 

"About  that,"  his  uncle  answered.  Pausing  a  few 
moments,  as  if  to  reflect  upon  the  matter,  he  con 
tinued  : 

"It  is  just  here,  James  ;  you  will  begin  that  school 
as  '  Jim  Garfielcl ; '  now,  if  you  can  leave  it,  at  the 
close  of  the  term,  as  Mr.  Garfield,  your  reputation 
as  a  teacher  will  be  established,  and  you  will  do 
more  good  than  you  can  in  any  other  school  in 
Ohio." 

Uncle  Amos  was  a  very  wise  man,  and  James 
knew  it.  His  opinion  upon  all  subjects  was  a  kind 
of  rule  to  be  followed  in  the  Garfield  family.  In  this 
case  his  counsel  was  wise  as  possible ;  its  wisdom 
appeared  in  every  word. 

"  I  shall  take  the  school,"  said  James  decidedly, 
as  he  rose  to  go. 

"  I  think  it  will  prove  the  best  decision,"  added 
his  uncle. 

The  committee-man  was  notified  according  to 
agreement,  and  within  two  days  it  was  noised  over 
the  district  that  "Jim  Garfield"  would  teach  the 


KEEPING  SCHOOL.  263 

winter  school.  At  first,  remarks  were  freely  bandied 
about,  pro  and  con,  and  the  boys,  and  girls  too,  ex 
pressed  themselves  very  decidedly  upon  the  subject, 
one  way  or  the  other.  Before  school  commenced, 
however,  the  general  opinion  of  the  district,  parents 
and  pupils,  was  about  as  one  of  the  large  boys  ex 
pressed  it : 

"  Me  like  Jim :  he's  a  good  feller,  and  he  knows 
more'n  all  the  teachers  we  ever  had.  I  guess  we 
better  mind.  He  can  lick  us  easy  'nuf  if  we  don't ; 
and  he'll  do  it." 

This  hopeful  school-boy  understood  that  the  com 
mittee-man  had  instructed  James  to  keep  order  and 
command  obedience,  "if  he  had  to  lick  every  scholar 
in  school  a  dozen  times  over." 

It  was  under  these  circumstances  that  James  en 
tered  upon  his  new  vocation.  'He  dreaded  the  under 
taking  far  more  than  he  confessed;  and  when  he 
left  home,  on  the  morning  his  school  began,  he  re 
marked  to  his  mother : 

"  Perhaps  I  shall  be  back  before  noon,  through 
with  school-keeping,"  signifying  that  the  boys  might 
run  over  him  in  the  outset. 

"I  expect  that  you  will  succeed,  and  be  the  most 
popular  teacher  in  town,"  was  his  mother's  encour 
aging  reply.  She  saw  that  James  needed  some 
bracing  up  in  the  trying  circumstances. 

James  had  determined  in  his  own  mind  to  run  the 
school  without  resorting  to  the  use  of  rod  or  ferule, 
if  possible.  He  meant  that  his  government  should 
be  firm,  but  kind  and  considerate.  He  was  wise 


264  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

enough  to  open  his  labor  on  the  first  morning  with 
out  laying  down  a  string  of  rigid  rules.  He  simply 
assured  the  pupils  he  was  there  to  aid  them  in  their 
studies,  that  they  might  make  rapid  progress ;  that 
all  of  them  were  old  enough  to  appreciate  the  pur 
pose  and  advantages  of  the  school,  and  he  should 
expect  their  cordial  co-operation.  He  should  do  the 
best  that  he  could  to  have  an  excellent  school,  and 
if  the  scholars  would  do  the  same,  both  teacher  and 
pupils  would  have  a  good  time,  and  the  best  school 
in  town. 

Many  older  heads  than  he  have  displayed  less 
wisdom  in  taking  charge  of  a  difficult  school.  His 
method  appeared  to  be  exactly  adapted  to  the  cir 
cumstances  under  which  he  assumed  charge.  He 
was  on  good  terms  with  the  larger  boys  before,  but 
now  those  harmonious  relations  were  confirmed. 

We  must  use  space  only  to  sum  up  the  work  of 
the  winter.  The  bad  boys  voluntarily  yielded  to  the 
teacher's  authority,  and  behaved  creditably  to  them 
selves,  and  satisfactorily  to  their  teacher.  There 
was  no  attempt  to  override  the  government  of  the 
school,  and  former  rowdyism,  that  had  been  the  bane 
of  the  school,  disappeared.  The  pupils  bent  their 
energies  to  study,  as  if  for  the  first  lime  they  under 
stood  what  going  to  school  meant.  James  interested 
the  larger  scholars  in  spelling-matches,  in  which  all 
found  much  enjoyment  as  well  as  profit.  He  joined 
in  the  games  and  sports  of  the  boys  at  noon,  his 
presence  proving  a  restraint  upon  the  disposition  of 
some  to  be  vulgar  and  profane.  He  was  perfectly 


KEEPING  SCHOOL.  265 

familiar  with  his  scholars,  and  yet  he  was  so  correct 
and  dignified  in  his  ways  that  the  wildest  boy  could 
but  respect  him. 

James  "boarded  around,"  as  was  the  universal 
custom ;  and  this  brought  him  into  every  family  in 
the  course  of  the  winter.  Here  he  enjoyed  an  addi 
tional  opportunity  to  influence  his  pupils.  He  took 
special  pains  to  aid  them  in  their  studies,  and  to 
make  the  evenings  entertaining  to  the  members  of 
the  families.  He  read  aloud  to  them,  rehearsed  his 
tory,  told  stories,  availing  himself  of  his  quite  exten 
sive  reading  to  furnish  material.  In  this  way  he 
gained  a  firm  hold  both  of  the  parents  and  their 
children. 

His  Sabbaths  were  spent  at  home  with  his  mother 
during  the  winter.  The  Disciples'  meeting  had  be 
come  .a  fixed  institution,  so  that  he  attended  divine 
worship  every  Sabbath.  A  preacher  was  officiating 
at  the  time  in  whom  James  became  particularly  in 
terested.  He  was  a  very  earnest  preacher,  a  devout 
Christian,  and  a  man  of  strong  native  abilities.  He 
possessed  a  tact  for  "  putting  things,"  as  men  call  it, 
and  made  his  points  sharply  and  forcibly.  He  was 
just  suited  to  interest  a  youth  like  James,  and  his 
preaching  made  a  deep  impression  upon  him.  From 
week  to  week  that  impression  deepened,  until  he 
resolved  to  become  a  Christian  at  once ;  and  he  did. 
Before  the  close  of  his  school  he  gave  good  evidence 
that  he  had  become  a  true  child  of  God.  And  now 
his  mother's  cup  of  joy  was  overflowing.  She  saw 
distinctly  the  way  in  which  God  had  led  him,  and 


266  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

her  gratitude  was  unbounded.  James  saw,  too,  how 
it  was  that  his  mother's  prophecy  was  fulfilled : 
w  Providence  has  something  better  in  store  for 
you." 

The  verdict  of  parents  and  pupils  at  the  close  of 
the  term  was,  "  THE  BEST  TEACHER  WE  EVER  HAD/' 
So  James  parted  with  his  scholars,  sharing  their 
confidence  and  esteem ;  and  his  uncle  Amos  was 
satisfied,  because  he  left  the  school  as  MR.  GAR- 
FIELD. 

He  returned  to  Geauga  Seminary,  not  to  board 
himself,  but  to  board  with  Mr.  Wood  worth,  the  car 
penter,  according  to  previous  arrangement.  Mr. 
Woodvvorth  boarded  him  for  $1.06  per  week,  includ 
ing  his  washing,  and  took  his  pay  in  labor.  It  was 
an  excellent  opportunity  for  James,  as  well  as  for  the 
carpenter.  His  chief  labor  in  the  shop  was  planing 
boards.  On  the  first  Saturday  after  his  return  he 
planed  fifty-one  boards,  at  two  cents  apiece ;  thus 
earning  on  that  day  one  dollar  and  two  cents,  nearly 
enough  to  pay  a  week's  board. 

We  shall  pass  over  the  details  of  his  schooling 
that  year,  to  his  school-keeping  at  Warrensville  the 
following  winter,  where  he  was  paid  sixteen  dollars 
a  month  and  board.  It  was  a  larger  and  more  ad 
vanced  school  than  the  one  of  the  previous  winter, 
in  a  pleasanter  neighborhood,  and  a  more  conven 
ient  school-house.  We  shall  stop  to  relate  but  two 
incidents  connected  with  his  winter's  work,  except  to 
say  that  his  success  was  complete. 

One   of   the   more  advanced  scholars  wanted  to 


KEEPING  SCHOOL.  267 

study  Geometry,  and  James  had  given  no  attention 
to  it.  He  did  not  wish  to  let  the  scholar  know  that 
he  had  never  studied  it,  for  he  knew  full  well  that 
he  could  keep  in  advance  of  his  pupil,  and  teach 
him  as  he  desired.  So  he  purchased  a  text-book, 
studied  Geometry  at  night,  sometimes  extending  hi* 
studies  far  into  the  night,  and  carried  his  pupil 
through,  without  the  latter  dreaming  that  his  teacher 
was  not  an  expert  in  the  science.  James  considered 
this  as  clear  gain  ;  for  he  would  not  have  mastered 
Geometry  that  winter  but  for  this  necessity  laid 
upon  him.  It  left  him  more  time  in  school  for  other 
studies. 

This  fact  is  a  good  illustration  of  what  James  has 
said  since  he  was  in  public  life,  viz.  :  "A  young 
man  should  be  equal  to  more  than  the  task  before 
him ;  he  should  possess  reserved  power."  He  had 
not  pursued  Geometry,  but  he  was  equal  to  it  in  the 
emergency.  His  reserved  force  carried  him  tri 
umphantly  over  a  hard  place. 

One  day  he  fell  when  engaged  in  out-door  sports 
with  his  big  boys,  the  result  of  which  was  a  large 
rent  in  his  pantaloons.  They  were  well-worn,  and 
so  thin  that  it  did  not  require  much  of  a  pressure  to 
push  one  of  his  knees  through  them.  He  pinned 
up  the  rent  as  well  as  he  could,  and  went  to  his 
boarding-place,  after  school,  with  a  countenance 
looking  almost  as  forlorn  as  his  trousers.  He  was 
boarding  with  a  Mrs.  Stiles  at  the  time,  a  motherly 
kind  of  a  woman,  possessing  considerable  sharpness 
of  intellect. 


268  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"See  what  a  plight  I  am  in,  Mrs.  Stiles,"  show 
ing  the  rent  in  his  pants. 

"I  see  ;  how  did  you  do  that?"  said  Mrs.  Stiles. 

"Blundering  about,  as  usual,"  James  replied.  "I 
hardly  know  what  I  shall  do." 

"  What !  so  scared  at  a  rent,"  the  good  lady  ex 
claimed ;  "that's  nothing." 

"It  is  a  good  deal,  when  it  is  all  the  pantaloons 
a  fellow  has,"  answered  James.  "This  is  all  the 
suit  I  possess  in  the  world,  poor  as  it  is." 

"  It  is  good  enough,  and  there's  enough  of  it  as 
long  as  it  lasts,"  replied  the  good  woman ;  "make 
the  best  of  things." 

"I  think  I  could  make  the  best  of  an  extra  suit," 
responded  James;  "but  this  making  the  best  of  a 
single  suit,  and  a  flimsy  one  at  that,  is  asking  too 
much."  He  said  this  humorously. 

"Well,"  continued  Mrs.  Stiles,  "I  can  darn  that 
rent  so  that  it  will  be  just  as  good  as  new,  if  not 
better.  That's  easy  enough  done." 

"On  me?"  asked  James,  in  his  innocence. 

"  Mercy,  no  !  When  you  go  to  bed  one  of  the 
boys  will  bring  down  your  trousers,  and  I'll  mend 
them.  In  the  morning  no  one  will  know  that  you 
met  with  such  an  accident.  You  mustn't  let  such 
small  matters  trouble  you.  You'll  forget  all  about 
them  when  you  become  President." 

James'  wardrobe  was  not  much  more  elaborate  at 
this  time  than  it  was  when  he  began  attending  school 
at  Chester.  He  had  no  over-coat  nor  under-cloth- 


KEEPING  SCHOOL.  269 

ing,  preferring  to  expose  his  body  to  the  cold  rather 
than  rob  his  mind  of  knowledge. 

At  the  close  of  his  school  in  Warrensville  James 
returned  home,  where  an  unexpected  change  in  his 
programme  awaited  him. 


XVIII. 
THIRD  YEAR  AT  SCHOOL. 

|AMES  spent  three  years  at  Geauga  Semi 
nary,  including  school-keeping  in  winter. 
It  was  during  his  last  term  there  that  he 
met  a  young  man  who  was  a  graduate  of 
a  New  England  college.  James  had  never  thought 
of  extending  his  education  so  far  as  a  college  course. 
He  scarcely  thought  it  was  possible,  in  his  extreme 
poverty,  to  do  it. 

"You  can  do  it,"  said  the  graduate.  "Several 
students  drd  it  when  I  was  in  college.  I  did  it,  in 
part,  myself." 

"  How  could  I  do  it?  "  inquired  James. 

"  In  the  first  place,"  answered  the  graduate,  "there 
is  a  fund  in  most  of  the  New  England  colleges,  per 
haps  in  all  of  them,  the  income  of  which  goes  to 
aid  indigent  students.  It  is  small,  to  be  sure,  but 
then  every  little  helps  when  one  is  in  a  tight  place. 
Then  there  is  a  great  call  for  school-teachers  in 
the  winter,  and  college  students  are  sought  after." 

"  How  much  is  the  annual  expense,  to  an  econom 
ical  student?"  asked  James.  270 


THIRD    YEAR  AT  SCHOOL.  2/I 

w  It  varies  somewhat  in  different  colleges,  though 
two  hundred  dollars  a  year,  not  including  apparel, 
could  be  made  to  cover  the  running  yearly  ex 
penses,  I  think.  A  young  man  would  be  obliged  to 
be  very  saving  in  order  to  do  it." 

"I  am  used  to  that,"  added  James.  "They  say 
that  'necessity  is  the  mother  of  invention,'  and  I 
have  invented  a  good  many  ways  of  living  cheaply." 

"  I  have  known  students  to  obtain  jobs  of  work  in 
term  time,  —  those  who  'know  how  to  do  certain 
work,"  —  continued  the  graduate.  "I  knew  a  stu 
dent  who  took  care  of  a  man's  garden  two  summers, 
for  which  he  received  liberal  pay.  I  knew  one  who 
taught  a  gentleman's  son  in  the  place  an  hour  or  so 
every  day,  for  which  he  was  paid  well.  The  boy 
was  in  delicate  health,  not  able  to  enter  a  school  for 
hard  study.  I  have  known  students  to  get  jobs  of 
the  faculty,  about  the  college  buildings.  I  knew 
one  student  who  sawed  wood  for  his  fellow-students 
in  the  fall  and  winter  terms,  and  he  was  one  of  the 
best  scholars  in  his  class.  He  was  very  popular, 
too,  and  was  honored  for  his  perseverance  in  ac 
quiring  an  education.  I  think  that  he  must  have 
paid  half  of  his  bills  by  sawing  wood." 

James  began  to  see  further  than  he  did.  In  his 
imagination  he  began  to  picture  a  college  building 
at  the  end  of  his  career.  It  was  further  off  than  he 
had  intended  to  go  in  the  way  of  study,  but  the  way 
before  him  seemed  to  open  up  to  it.  What  he  sup 
posed  was  impossible  now  appeared  among  possi 
bilities. 


272  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"What  is  the  shortest  time  that  it  would  require 
me  to  prepare  and  get  through  college?"  James 
asked  further. 

"  The  necessary  time  is  four  years  in  preparation, 
and  four  years  in  college,"  the  graduate  answered. 
"Some  students  shorten  the  preparatory  course,  and 
enter  college  one  year  in  advance." 

"/should  have  to  lengthen  it  in  order  to  earn  the 
money  to  pay  my  way,"  responded  James.  "  I  would 
be  willing  to  undertake  it,  if  I  could  get  through 
in  twelve  years,  and  pay  all  my  bills." 

"You  can  get  through  in  less  time  than  that,  I 
know.  I  forgot  to  tell  you  that  students  sometimes 
enter  college  with  money  enough  to  carry  them 
through  the  first  two  years ;  then  they  stay  out  a 
year  and  teach  an  academy  or  high  school,  for 
which  they  receive  sufficient  remuneration  to  carry 
them  through  the  remainder  of  the  course.  It  is  a 
better  plan,  I  think,  than  to  teach  a  district  school 
each  winter;  it  don't  interfere  so  much  with  the 
studies  of  the  college,  and  it  is  easier  for  the  student. 
Then  I  have  known  several  students  who  borrowed 
the  money  of  friends  to  pay  their  bills,  relying  upon 
teaching,  after  getting  through  college,  to  liquidate 
the  debt.  By  waiting  until  their  college  course  was 
completed  they  obtained  a  more  eligible  situation,  at 
a  higher  salary,  than  would  have  been  possible 
before." 

"  Well,  I  have  no  friends  having  money  to  loan," 
remarked  James.  "  I  shall  have  to  content  myself 
with  working  my  own  way  by  earning  all  my  money 


THIRD   YEAR  AT  SCHOOL.  273 

as  I  go  along ;  and  I  am  willing  to  do  it.  I  had 
never  thought  it  possible  for  me  to  go  to  college  • 
but  now  I  believe  that  I  shall  try  it." 

"  I  hope  you  will,"  answered  the  graduate,  who 
had  learned  of  James'  ability,  and  who  had  seen 
enough  of  him  to  form  a  high  opinion  of  his  talents. 
"You  will  never  regret  the  step,  I  am  sure.  You 
get  something  in  a  college  education  that  you  can 
never  lose,  and  it  will  always  be  a  passport  mio  the 
best  society." 

From  that  time  James  was  fully  decided  to  take  a 
college  course,  or,  at  least,  to  try  for  it ;  and  he  im 
mediately  added  Latin  and  Greek  to  his  studies. 

During  the  last  year  of  his  connection  with  Geauga 
Seminary  James  united  with  the  Disciples'  church 
in  Orange.  He  took  the  step  after  much  reflection, 
and  he  took  it  for  greater  usefulness.  At  once  he 
became  an  active,  working  Christian,  in  Chester. 
He  spoke  and  prayed  in  meeting ;  he  urged  the 
subject  of  religion  upon  the  attention  of  his  compan 
ions,  privately  as  well  as  publicly ;  he  seconded 
the  religious  efforts  of  the  principal,  and  assisted 
him  essentially  in  the  conduct  of  religious  meetings. 
In  short,  the  same  earnest  spirit  pervaded  his  Chris 
tian  life  that  had  distinguished  his  secular  career. 

In  religious  meetings  his  simple,  earnest  appeals, 
eloquently  expressed,  attracted  universal  attention. 
There  was  a  naturalness  and  fervor  in  his  addresses 
that  held  an  audience  remarkably.  Many  attended 
meetings  to  hear  him  speak,  and  for  no  other  reason. 
His  power  as  a  public  speaker  began  to  show  itself 
iS 


274  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

unmistakably  at  that  time.  No  doubt  his  youthful 
appearance  lent  a  charm  to  his  words. 

"  He  is  a  born  preacher,"  remarked  Mr.  Branch  to 
one  of  the  faculty,  "  and  he  will  make  his  mark  in 
that  profession." 

"  One  secret  of  his  power  is,  that  he  is  wholly  un 
conscious  of  it,"  answered  the  member  of  the  faculty 
addressed.  "  It  seems  to  me  he  is  the  most  eminent 
example  of  that  1  ever  knew.  He  appears  to  lose 
all  thought  of  himself  in  the  subject  before  him.  He 
is  not  a  bold  young  man  at  all ;  he  is  modest  as  any 
student  in  the  academy,  and  yet,  in  speaking,  he 
seems  to  be  so  absorbed  in  his  theme  that  fear  is 
banished.  He  will  make  a  power  in  the  pulpit,  if 
present  appearances  foreshadow  the  future." 

w  It  cannot  be  otherwise,"  responded  Mr.  Branch, 
"  if  cause  and  effect  follow  each  other.  He  develops 
very  rapidly  indeed.  I  wish  it  were  possible  for 
him  to  have  a  college  education." 

All  seemed  to  take  it  for  granted  that  James  would 
be  a  preacher,  although  he  had  not  signified  to  any 
one  that  he  intended  to  be.  He  had  given  no  thought 
to  that  particular  subject.  He  was  too  much  ab 
sorbed  in  his  studies,  too  much  in  love  with  them,  to 
settle  that  question.  But  his  interest  in  religious 
things,  and  his  ability  as  a  speaker,  alone  led  them 
to  this  conclusion.  The  same  feeling  existed  among 
the  pupils. 

"Jim  will  be  a  minister  now,"  remarked  one  of  his 
companions  to  Henry. 

"  Perhaps  so,"  was  Henry's  only  reply. 


THIRD    YEAR  AT  SCHOOL.  27 C 

ff  He  will  make  a  good  one,  sure,"  chimed  in  a 
third.  "  By  the  time  he  gets  into  the  pulpit,  he  will 
astonish  the  natives." 

"  That  will  be  ten  years  from  now,"  said  the  first 
speaker. 

"  Not  so  long  as  that,"  rejoined  Henry.  w  Five  or 
six  years  is  long  enough." 

"  He  won't  wear  trousers  of  Kentucky  jean,  then," 
added  the  second  speaker,  in  a  jocose  manner. 

"  He  won't  care  whether  he  does  or  not,"  remarked 
Henry.     "  He   would  wear  Kentucky  jean  just  as 
quick  as  broadcloth;  such  things  are  wholly  unim 
portant  in  his  estimation." 

So  the  matter  of  his  becoming  a  preacher  was  dis 
cussed,  all  appearing  to  think  that  he  was  destined 
to  become  a  pulpit  orator.     Doubtless  some  thought 
it  was  the  only  profession  he  would  be  qualified  to 
fill. 

During  the  summer  vacation  of  his  last  year  at 
Geauga  Seminary,  in  connection  with  a  schoolmate, 
he  sought  work  among  the  farmers  in  the  vicinity. 
He  lound  no  difficulty  in  securing  jobs  to  suit  his 
most  sanguine  expectations.  An  amusing  incident 
occurred  with  one  of  the  farmers,  to  whom  he  ap 
plied  for  work. 

"  What  do  you  know  about  work  ? "  inquired  the 
farmer,  surveying  them  from  head  to  foot,  and  seem 
ing  to  question  their  fitness  for  his  farm. 

"  We  have  worked  at  farming,"  answered  James, 
modestly. 

"Can  you  mow?" 


276  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Can  you  mow  well  ? "  emphasizing  the  last 
word. 

"You  can  tell  by  trying  us,"  answered  James,  not 
wishing  to  praise  his  own  ability  at  labor. 

"What  wages  do  you  want?  " 

"Just  what  you  think  is  right." 

"  Well,  that  is  fair  ;  where  did  you  come  from?  " 

James  enlightened  him  on  this  subject,  and  in 
formed  him,  also,  that  they  were  trying  to  get  an 
education. 

"You  are  plucky  boys,"  the  farmer  added;  "I 
think  you  may  go  to  work." 

He  conducted  them  to  the  hay-field,  where  they 
were  provided  with  scythes,  remarking  to  the  three 
men  already  mowing,  "  Here  are  two  boys  who  will 
help  you." 

James  exchanged  glances  with  his  companion, 
and  the  initiated  might  have  discovered  in  their 
mutual  smiles  an  inkling  of  what  was  corning. 
Their  glances  at  each  other  said,  as  plainly  as 
words,  "  Let  us  beat  these  fellows,  though  we  are 
boys."  James  thought  that  the  farmer  emphasized 
the  word  boys  more  than  was  justifiable. 

The  boys  had  mowed  an  hour,  the  farmer  being 
an  interested  witness,  when  the  latter  cried  out  to 
the  three  men, 

"  See  here,  you  lubbers ;  those  boys  are  beatin' 
you  all  holler.  Their  swaths  are  wider,  and  they 
mow  better  than  you  do.  You  ought  to  be  ashamed 
of  yourselves." 


THIRD    YEAR  AT  SCHOOL  277 

The  men  made  no  reply,  but  bent  their  energies 
to  work  more  resolutely.  The  boys,  too,  were 
silent,  although  they  enjoyed  the  praise  of  their  em 
ployer  very  much.  They  comprehended  the  situa 
tion  fully,  and  their  labors  were  pushed  accordingly. 
One  day,  while  at  work  with  the  men,  one  of  them 
said  to  James : 

rf  Yer  are  school-boys,  I  understand." 

"  Yes,  we  are,"  answered  James. 

"  Where'd  yer  larn  to  farm  it?" 

"At  home,  and  all  about.  We've  had  to  earn  our 
living,"  was  the  reply  of  James. 

ff  Yer  are  no  worse  for  that ;  it  won't  damage  your 
larnin'." 

"  I  expect  not ;  I  should  say  good-bye  to  the 
scythe  if  I  thought  so,"  replied  James.  "  If  there 
had  been  no  work,  there  would  have  been  no  edu 
cation  for  me." 

"  What  yer  goin'  to  make  —  a  preacher?  " 

"That  is  an  unsolved  problem,"  answered  James, 
in  a  playful  way.  "  I  have  undertaken  to  make  a 
man  of  myself  first.  If  I  succeed  I  may  make  some 
thing  else  afterwards  ;  if  I  don't  succeed,  I  shall  not 
be  fit  for  much,  any  way." 

"Yer  in  a  fair  way  to  succeed,  I  guess,"  responded 
the  laborer,  who  seemed  to  have  the  idea,  in  com 
mon  with  other  people,  that  James  was  aiming  to  be 
a  minister. 

When  the  day  of  settlement  with  the  boys  came, 
the  farmer  said : 

"  Now,  boys,  what  must  I  pay  you?  " 


278  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  What  you  think  is  right,"  replied  James,  at  the 
same  time  thinking  that  the  farmer's  emphasis  of  the 
word  boys  indicated  boys'  pay. 

"  I  s'pose  you  don't  expect  men's  wages ;  you  are 
only  boys." 

"  If  boys  do  men's  work,  what's  the  difference?" 

"  Well,  you  see,  boys  never  have  so  much  as  men  : 
there's  a  price  for  boys,  and  there's  a  price  for  men. 
Some  boys  will  do  more  work  than  others,  but  the 
best  of  them  only  have  boys'  pay." 

"  But  you  told  the  men  that  we  mowed  wider 
swaths,  and  mowed  better  than  they,  and  beat  them. 
Now,  admit  that  we  are  boys,  if  we  have  done  men's 
work,  why  should  we  not  have  their  pay?  I  told 
you  at  first  to  pay  us  what  was  right,  and  I  say  so 
now;  and  if  we  have  worked  as  well  as  your  men, 
or  better,  is  it  not  right  that  we  should  have  their 
pay?" 

James'  plea  was  a  strong  one,  and  the  farmer  felt 
its  force.  There  was  but  one  honorable  course  out 
of  the  difficulty,  and  that  was  to  pay  the  boys  just 
what  he  did  the  men. 

"Well,  boys,  I  can't  in  justice  deny  that  you  did 
as  much  work  as  the  men, "he  said,  "and  so  I'll  pay 
you  men's  wages ;  but  you  are  the  first  boys  I  ever 
paid  such  wages  to." 

"I  hope  we  are  not  the  last  ones,"  added  James, 
who  was  never  in  a  strait  for  a  reply. 

The  farmer  paid  them  full  wages,  and  parted  with 
them  in  good  feeling,  wishing  them  success  in  their 
struggles  for  an  education,  and  saying  to  James: 


THIRD    YEAR  AT  SCHOOL.  279 

"  If,  one  of  these  days,  you  preach  as  well  as  you 
mow,  I  shall  want  to  hear  you." 

When  they  left  the  farmer,  James  remarked  to  his 
companion  : 

"  Everybody  seems  to  think  that  I  am  going  to  be 
a  preacher;  why  is  it?"  He  was  so  unconscious  of 
his  abilities  for  that  profession  that  he  was  actually 
puzzled  to  know  why  it  was. 

"  I  suppose  it  is  because  they  think  you  are  better 
qualified  for  that  than  any  other  calling,"  his  com 
panion  replied.  "  I  never  heard  you  say  what  pro 
fession  you  should  choose." 

"  No,  I  don't  think  you  have  ;  nor  any  one  else. 
When  the  time  comes  I  shall  choose  for  the  best.  I 
should  like  to  be  a  preacher,  and  I  should  like  to  be 
a  teacher.  I  don't  know  but  I  should  like  to  be  a 
lawyer.  I  shouldn't  want  to  be  a  doctor." 

James  stated  the  matter  here  just  about  as  it  was 
at  that  time.  He  was  going  to  make  the  most  of 
himself  possible,  in  the  first  place,  —  a  very  sensible 
idea  for  a  youth,  —  and  then  devote  himself  to  the 
manifest  line  of  duty. 

At  this  time  the  anti-slavery  contest  ran  high 
throughout  the  country.  In  Ohio  its  friends  were 
as  zealous  and  fearless  as  they  were  anywhere  in 
the  country.  The  question  of  the  abolition  of  slav 
ery  was  discussed,  not  only  in  pulpits  and  on  public 
rostrums,  but  in  village  and  school  lyceums.  It  was 
discussed  in  the  Debating  Society  of  the  Seminary. 
"  OUGHT  SLAVERY  TO  BE  ABOLISHED  IN  THIS  RE 
PUBLIC  ?"  This  was  a  question  that  drew  out  James 


280  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

in  one  of  his  best  efforts.  From  the  time  his  atten 
tion  was  drawn  to  the  subject,  he  was  a  thorough 
hater  of  slavery.  It  was  such  a  monstrous  wrong 
that  he  had  no  patience  with  it. 

"A  disgrace  to  the  nation,"  he  said.  "People 
fighting  to  be  free,  and  then  reducing  others  to  a 
worse  slavery  than  that  which  they  fought  I  It  is  a 
burning  shame  !  " 

"The  founders  of  the  government  didn't  think  so," 
answered  the  schoolmate  addressed.  "If  they  had 
thought  so,  they  would  have  made  no  provision 
for  it." 

"  So  much  more  the  shame,"  replied  James.  "The 
very  men  who  fought  to  break  the  British  yoke  of 
bondage  legalized  a  worse  bondage  to  others  !  That 
is  what  makes  my  blood  boil.  I  can't  understand 
how  men  of  intelligence  and  honor  could  do  what  is 
so  inconsistent  and  inhuman." 

"  Slavery  wouldn't  stand  much  of  a  show  where 
you  are,  I  judge,"  added  his  schoolmate.  "You 
would  sweep  it  away  without  discussing  the  question 
whether  immediate  emancipation  is  safe  or  not." 

"  Safe  !  "  exclaimed  James,  in  a  tone  of  supreme 
contempt ;  "  it  is  always  safe  to  do  right,  and  it  is 
never  safe  to  do  wrong,  especially  to  perpetrate  such 
a  monstrous  wrong  as  to  buy  and  sell  men/' 

It  was  this  inborn  and  inbred  hostility  to  human 
bondage  that  James  carried  into  the  discussion  of 
the  question  named,  in  their  school  lyceum.  He 
prepared  himself  for  the  debate  with  more  than  usual 
carefulness.  He  read  whatever  he  could  find  upon 


THIRD    YEAR  AT  SCHOOL.  2Bl 

the  subject,  and  he  taxed  his  active  brain  to  the  ut 
most  in  forging  arguments  against  the  crime. 

Companions  and  friends  had  been  surprised  and 
interested  before  by  his  ability  in  debate ;  but  on  this 
occasion  he  discussed  his  favorite  theme  with  larger 
freedom  and  more  eloquence  than  ever.  There  was 
a  manly  and  exhaustive  treatment  of  the  question, 
such  as  he  had  not  evinced  before.  It  enlisted  his 
sympathies  and  honest  convictions  as  no  previous 
question  had  done ;  so  that  his  fervor  and  energy 
were  greater  than  ever,  holding  the  audience  in  rapt 
and  delighted  attention. 

Commenting  upon  his  effort  afterwards,  one  of 
his  schoolmates  said  to  a  number  of  his  companions 
present : 

"We'll  send  Jim  to  Congress  one  of  these  days." 
James  was  present,  and  the  remark  was  intended 
both  for  sport  and  praise. 

"  I  don't  want  you  should  send  me  until  I  have 
graduated  at  Geauga  Academy,"  retorted  James, 
disposed  to  treat  the  matter  playfully. 

"  We'll  let  you  do  that ;  but  we  can  begin  the  cam 
paign  now,  and  set  the  wires  for  pulling  by  and  by," 
replied  the  first  speaker.  "  I'll  stump  the  District  for 
you,  Jim,  and  charge  only  my  expenses." 

"And  who  will  you  charge  your  expenses  to?" 
inquired  James. 

"To  the  candidate,  of  course,  Hon.  James  A. 
Garfield,"  the  schoolmate  answered,  with  a  laugh, 
in  which  the  whole  company  joined,  not  excepting 
James.  The  incident  illustrates  the  place  that  James 


282  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

held  in  the  opinions  of  his  school-fellows.  Not 
the  immature  opinions  of  partial  friends,  but  the 
well-considered  and  honest  estimate  of  faculty  and 
pupils. 

In  the  fall  term  of  that  year  there  came  to  the 
school  a  young  lady  by  the  name  of  Lucretia  Ru 
dolph,  a  modest,  unpretentious,  talented  girl.  James 
soon  discovered  that  she  was  a  young  lady  of  unu 
sual  worth  and  intellectual  ability.  He  was  not  much 
inclined  to  the  company  of  school-girls ;  he  was  too 
bashful  to  make  much  of  a  display  in  that  line.  He 
was  not  very  companionable  in  their  society,  for  he 
was  not  at  home  there.  But  he  was  unconsciously 
drawn  to  this  new  and  pretty  pupil,  Miss  Lucretia 
Rudolph.  First,  her  modest,  lady-like  demeanor 
attracted  his  attention.  There  was  a  grace  in  her 
movements,  and  evidence  of  intellectual  strength  in 
her  conversation.  Her  recitations  were  perfect,  show 
ing  industry  and  scholarship.  These  things  impressed 
James  sensibly.  No  female  student  had  attracted  his 
attention  at  all  before.  Nor  was  there  any  such 
thing  as  falling  in  love  with  her  on  his  part.  He 
regarded  her  with  more  favor  than  he  had  ever  re 
garded  a  young  lady  in  school ;  and  it  was  her 
worth  and  scholarship  that  drew  him.  They  were 
intimate,  mutually  polite,  helpers  of  each  other  in 
study,  real  friends  in  all  the  relations  of  school 
mates.  Further  than  that,  neither  of  them  had 
thoughts  about  each  other.  They  associated  to 
gether,  and  parted  at  the  close  of  the  term  with  no 
expectation,  perhaps,  of  renewing  their  acquaintance 


THIRD    YEAR  AT  SCHOOL.  283 

again.  We  speak  of  the  matter  here,  because  the 
two  will  meet  again  elsewhere. 

James  made  rapid  progress  in  Latin  after  he  de 
cided  to  go  to  college.  It  was  the  study  that  oc 
cupied  his  odd  moments  especially.  Every  spare 
hour  that  he  could  snatch  was  devoted  to  this.  The 
following  winter  he  taught  school,  and  Latin  re 
ceived  much  of  his  attention  in  evening  hours.  He 
enjoyed  the  study  of  it,  and,  at  the  same  time,  was 
stimulated  by  the  consideration  that  it  was  required 
in  a  college  course  of  study. 

Late  in  the  autumn  James  met  with  a  young  man 
who  was  connected  with  the  Eclectic  Institute,  a  new 
institution  just  established  in  Hiram, Portage  County, 
Ohio.  James  knew  that  such  an  institution  had  been 
opened,  and  that  was  all ;  of  its  scope  and  character 
he  was  ignorant. 

"  You  can  fit  for  college  there,"  he  said  to  James  ; 
w  there  is  no  better  place  in  the  country  for  that  busi 
ness.  The  school  opened  with  over  one  hundred 
scholars,  and  the  number  is  rapidly  increasing." 

"  Any  fitting  for  college  there  now  ?  "  James  in 
quired. 

"Yes,  several;  lam  one  of  them.'* 

"  How  far  along  are  you  ?  " 

"  Only  just  begun.  I  have  to  work  my  own  way, 
so  that  it  will  be  slow." 

"  That  is  the  case  with  me.  So  far  I  have  had 
but  eleven  dollars  from  my  friends,  and  I  have  more 
than  returned  that  amount  to  them." 

"  A  fellow  can  do  it  if  he  only  has  grit  enough." 


284  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

"How  expensive  is  the  school?"  continued  James. 

"Not  more  expensive  than  Geauga  Seminary.  It 
is  designed  to  give  a  chance  to  the  poorest  boy  or 
girl  to  get  an  academical  education.  Besides,  it  is 
conducted  under  the  auspices  of  the  Disciples,  and 
the  teachers  belong  to  that  sect." 

"  I  belong  to  the  Disciples'  church,"  said  James. 

"So  do  I.  That  would  not  take  me  there,  how 
ever,  if  it  was  not  a  good  school.  I  think  it  is  one 
of  the  best  schools  to  be  found." 

"The  teachers  are  well  qualified,  are  they?" 

"  They  are  the  very  best  of  teachers  ;  no  better  in 
any  school." 

"I  am  glad  that  you  have  called  my  attention  to 
the  school,"  added  James ;  "I  think  I  shall  go  there 
next  year." 

Here  was  the  second  casual  meeting  with  a  per 
son,  in  a  single  term,  that  had  much  to  do  with  the 
future  career  of  James.  His  mother  would  have 
called  it  PROVIDENTIAL  :  James  would  call  it  so  now. 
Meeting  with  one  of  them  led  to  his  decision  to  go  tc 
college ;  meeting  with  the  other  carried  him  to  the 
Hiram  Eclectic  Institute. 

James  closed  his  connection  with  the  Geauga  Sem 
inary  at  the  expiration  of  the  fall  term,  leaving  it 
with  a  reputation  for  scholarship  and  character  of 
which  the  institution  was  justly  proud.  As  we  have 
said,  he  taught  school  during  the  following  winter. 
It  was  at  Warrensville,  where  he  had  taught  before. 
He  received  eighteen  dollars  a  month,  and  board, 
with  the  esteem  and  gratitude  of  his  patrons. 


THIRD    YEAR  AT  SCHOOL. 


285 


We  should  not  pass  over  the  oration  that  James 
delivered  at  the  annual  exhibition  of  Geauga  Sem 
inary,  in  November,  1850.  It  was  his  last  task  per 
formed  at  the  institution,  and  the  first  oration  of  his 
literary  life.  The  part  assigned  to  him  was  honor 
ary  ;  and  he  spent  all  the  time  he  could  spare, 
amid  other  pressing  duties,  upon  the  production. 
He  was  to  quit  the  institution,  and  he  would  not  con 
ceal  his  desire  to  close  his  course  of  study  there  with 
his  best  effort.  He  kept  a  diary  at  the  time,  and  his 
diary  discloses  the  anxiety  with  which  he  undertook 
the  preparation  of  that  oration,  and  the  thorough 
application  with  which  he  accomplished  his  pur 
pose.  Neither  ambition  nor  vanity  can  be  discov 
ered,  in  the  least  degree,  in  his  diary  ;  that  was  writ 
ten  for  no  eyes  but  his  own.  His  performance 
proved  the  attraction  of  the  hour.  It  carried  the 
audience  like  a  surprise,  although  they  expected  a 
noble  effort  from  the  ablest  student  in  the  academy. 
It  exceeded  their  expectations,  and  was  a  fitting  close 
of  his  honorable  connection  with  the  school. 

Returning  home,  he  found  his  mother  making 
preparations  to  visit  relatives  in  Muskingum  Coun 
ty,  eighteen  miles  from  Zanesville. 

"  You  must  go,  James ;  I  have  made  all  my  ar 
rangements  for  you  to  go  with  me/'  said  his  mother. 

"  How  long  will  you  be  gone?  " 

tf  All  the  spring,  and  into  the  summer,  perhaps." 

"  I  had  concluded  to  go  to  the  Eclectic  Institute,  at 
Hiram,  when  the  spring  term  opens." 

"  You  have  ?     Why  do  you  go  there  ?  " 


286  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  To  prepare  for  college." 

"  Do  you  expect  you  can  work  your  way  through 
college?" 

"I  expect  I  can,  or  I  should  not  undertake  it." 
And  James  then  rehearsed  the  circumstances  under 
which  he  decided  to  go  to  college,  if  possible,  and 
to  take  a  preparatory  course  at  Hiram. 

"  I  shall  be  glad,  James,  to  have  you  accomplish 
your  purpose,"  remarked  his  mother,  after  listening 
to  his  rehearsal,  in  which  she  was  deeply  interested. 
w  I  think,  however,  that  you  had  better  go  with  me, 
and  enter  the  Eclectic  Institute  at  the  opening  of  the 
fall  term." 

"  It  will  be  wasting  a  good  deal  of  time,  it  seems 
to  me,"  said  James. 

"  I  don't  mean  that  you  shall  go  there  to  idle  away 
your  time.  Take  your  books  along  with  you.  You 
can  find  work  there,  too,  I  have  no  doubt.  Perhaps 
you  can  find  a  school  there  to  teach." 

"Well,  if  I  can  be  earning  something  to  help  me 
along,  perhaps  I  had  better  go.  It  will  give  me  an 
opportunity  to  see  more  of  the  world  —  " 

"  And  some  of  your  relations,  also,"  interrupted 
his  mother. 

It  was  settled  that  James  should  accompany  his 
mother  on  her  visit;  and  they  started  as  soon  as  they 
could  get  ready.  The  journey  took  them  to  Cleve 
land  first,  where  James  was  sensibly  reminded  of  his 
encounter  with  the  drunken  captain,  and  his  provi 
dential  connection  with  the  canal  boat.  The  Cleve 
land  and  Columbus  railroad  had  just  been  opened, 


THIRD    YEAR  AT  SCHOOL.  287 

and  James  and  his  mother  took  their  first  ride  in  the 
cars  on  that  day.  James  had  not  seen  a  railroad 
before,  and  it  was  one  of  the  new  things  under  the 
sun,  that  proved  a  real  stimulus  to  his  thoughts.  He 
beheld  in  it  a  signal  triumph  of  skill  and  enterprise. 

The  state  capitol  had  been  erected  at  Columbus, 
and  the  legislature  was  in  session.  It  was  a  grand 
spectacle  to  James.  He  had  scarcely  formed  an 
idea  of  the  building,  so  that  the  view  of  it  surprised 
him.  He  visited  the  legislature  in  session,  and  re 
ceived  his  first  impressions  of  the  law-making  power. 
It  was  a  great  treat  to  him,  and  the  impressions  oi 
that  day  were  never  obliterated. 

From  Columbus  they  proceeded  by  stage  to 
Zanesville.  On  their  way  James  remarked, 

ef  I  never  should  have  made  an  objection  to  this 
trip,  if  I  had  expected  to  see  the  capitol,  or  the  leg 
islature  in  session.  That  alone  is  equal  to  a  month's 
schooling  to  me.  It  has  given  me  an  idea  about 
public  affairs,  that  I  never  had  before." 

"  It  is  fortunate  that  you  came,"  replied  Mrs.  Gar- 
field.  "  It  does  boys  who  think  much  good  to  see 
things  which  set  them  to  thinking." 

"  I  guess  that  is  so,"  replied  James,  with  a  roguish 
smile,  as  if  he  thought  his  mother  had  exerted  her 
self  to  compliment  him.  "Thinking  is  needed  in 
this  world  about  as  much  as  anything." 

"Right  thinking,"  suggested  his  mother. 

"  Mr.  Branch  says  a  young  man  better  think  er 
roneously  than  not  to  think  at  all,"  responded  James. 

"  I  don't  think  I  should  agree  with  Mr.  Branch 


288  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

It  is  safer  not  to  think  than  to  think  wrong,"  said 
Mrs.  Garfield. 

"  I  suppose  that  Mr.  Branch  meant  to  rebuke  dull 
scholars,  who  never  think  for  themselves,  and  take 
every  assertion  of  the  books  as  correct,  without  ask 
ing  why?  added  James. 

James  and  his  mother  thus  discussed  the  scenes 
and  the  times  on  their  way  to  Zanesville,  enjoying 
the  change  and  the  scenery  very  much.  From  the 
latter  place  they  floated  down  the  Muskingum 
river,  in  a  skiff,  to  their  destination,  eighteen 
miles  distant.  Here  they  found  their  relatives  the 
more  rejoiced  to  see  them  because  their  visit  was 
unexpected. 

As  soon  as  they  were  fairly  settled  among  their 
relations,  within  four  or  five  days  after  their  arrival, 
James  began  to  cast  about  for  something  to  do. 

"  Perhaps  you  can  get  a  school  to  keep  over  in 
Harrison,  four  miles  from  here,"  said  his  aunt.  "  I 
heard  they  were  looking  after  a  teacher." 

"Who  shall  I  go  to  there  to  find  out?  "  inquired 
James. 

"  I  can't  tell  you,  but  your  uncle  can,  when  he 
gets  home." 

James  learned  to  whom  application  should  be 
made,  and  posted  away  immediately,  and  se 
cured  the  school,  at  twelve  dollars  a  month,  for 
three  months. 

"You  are  fortunate,"  said  his  mother,  on  hearing 
his  report.  "  You  will  be  contented  to  stay  now 


THIRD    YEAR  AT  SCHOOL.  289 

until  I  get  ready  to  go  home.  What  kind  of  a 
school-house  have  they  ?  " 

"  A  log-house  ;  not  much  of  an  affair." 

"  How  large  is  the  school?  " 

"  About  thirty  ;  enough  to  crowd  the  building  full." 

"  When  do  you  begin  ?  " 

*  Next  Monday." 

"Board  round,  I  suppose?" 

"  Yes  ;  and  some  of  the  families  are  between  two 
and  three  miles  away." 

James  commenced  his  school  under  favorable 
auspices,  so  far  as  his  relations  to  the  pnpils  were 
concerned.  The  conveniences  for  a  school  were 
meager,  and  the  parents  were  indifferent  to  the  real 
wants  of  their  children.  Most  of  them  failed  to  ap 
preciate  schooling.  It  was  quite  cold  weather  when 
the  school  opened,  and  there  was  no  fuel  provided. 
Near  by  the  school-house,  however,  there  was  coal, 
in  a  bank,  and  James  proposed  to  his  pupils  to  dig 
fuel  therefrom;  and,  in  this  way,  their  fire  was  run 
until  it  became  so  warm  that  fire  was  not  needed. 

The  pupils  were  not  so  far  advanced  as  the  pupils 
at  Warrensville,  but  not  so  rough  as  those  at  the 
Ledge.  The  neighborhood  was  not  so  far  advanced 
in  the  arts  of  civilization  as  the  region  with  which 
James  had  been  familiar.  Yet,  he  enjoyed  school- 
keeping  there  ;  and  his  connection  with  the  families 
was  pleasant.  At  the  close  of  the  term  he  received 
many  expressions  of  affection  and  confidence  from 
the  pupils,  and  separated  from  them  with  the  best 
of  feeling. 


290  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Mrs.  Garfield  was  ready  to  return  to  Orange  at 
the  close  of  the  school :  nor  was  James  sorry  to  start 
on  the  journey  home.  After  an  absence  of  over 
three  months,  James  found  himself  at  the  home 
stead  with  more  money  than  he  had  when  he  left. 


XIX. 
THE   ECLECTIC  INSTITUTE. 

SVERAL  weeks  would  intervene  before 
the  commencement  of  the  term  at  Hiram  ; 
and  James  looked  about  for  work  that  he 
might  add  to  his  funds  for  an  education. 
He  was  planning  now  to  lay  up  money  to  assist  him 
self  through  college.  He  found  jobs  to  occupy  his 
time  fully  until  he  would  leave  to  enter  the  Eclectic 
Institute. 

It  was  the  last  of  August,  1851,  when  James 
reached  Hiram.  The  board 'of  trustees  was  in  ses 
sion.  Proceeding  directly  to  the  institution,  he  ac 
costed  the  janitor. 

"I  want  to  see  the  principal  of  the  institute,"  he 
said. 

"He  is  engaged  with  the  board  of  trustees,  who 
are  in  session  now,"  replied  the  janitor. 
"  Can  I  see  him,  or  them?  " 

"Probably;  I  will  see."  And  the  janitor  went 
directly  to  the  room  of  the  trustees,  and  announced, 

291 


LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 


"  A  young  man  at  the  door,  who  is  desirous  to  see 
the  board  at  once." 

"Let  him  come  in,"  answered  the  chairman. 

James  presented  himself  politely,  though,  perhaps, 
awkwardly. 

"Gentlemen,"  he  said,  "I  am  anxious  to  get  an 
education,  and  have  come  here  to  see  what  I  can  do." 

"Well,  this  is  a  good  place  to  obtain  an  educa 
tion,"  answered  the  chairman,  without  waiting  for 
James  to  proceed  further.  "  Where  are  you  from?" 

"  From  Orange.  My  name  is  James  Abram  Gar- 
field.  I  have  no  father  ;  he  died  when  I  was  an  in 
fant.  My  mother  is  widow  Eliza  Garfield." 

"  And  you  want  what  education  this  institution  can 
furnish?" 

"Yes,  sir,  provided  I  can  work  my  way." 

"Then  you  are  poor?" 

"Yes,  sir;  but  I  can  work  my  way.  I  thought, 
perhaps,  that  I  could  have  the  chance  to  ring  the 
bell,  and  sweep  the  floors,  to  pay  part  of  my  bills." 

"  How  much  have  you  been  to  school?" 

"  I  have  attended  Geauga  Seminary  three  years, 
teaching  school  in  the  winter." 

"Ah  !  then  you  are  quite  advanced?" 

"No,  not  very  far  advanced.  I  have  commenced 
Latin  and  Greek." 

"  Then  you  think  of  going  to  college?" 

"  That  is  what  I  am  trying  for." 

"  I  think  we  had  better  try  this  young  man,"  said 
one  of  the  trustees,  addressing  the  chairman.  lie 
•was  much  impressed  by  the  earnestness  and  intelli- 


THE  ECLECTIC  INSTITUTE. 


293 


gence  of  the  applicant,  and  was  in  favor  of  render 
ing  him  all  the  aid  possible. 

"Yes,"  answered  the  chairman;  "he  has  started 
out  upon  a  noble  work,  and  we  must  help  him  all  we 
can." 

"  How  do  we  know  that  you  can  do  the  sweeping 
and  bell-ringing  to  suit  us?"  inquired  another  trus 
tee  of  James. 

w  Try  me  —  try  me  two  weeks,  and  if  it  is  not 
done  to  your  entire  satisfaction  I  will  retire  without 
a  word."  James'  honest  reply  settled  the  matter. 

James  was  nineteen  years  old  at  this  time  ;  he  be 
came  twenty  in  the  following  November.  So  he 
was  duly  installed  bell-ringer  and  sweeper-general. 

Hiram  was  a  small,  out-of-the-way  town,  twelve 
miles  from  the  railroad,  the  "center"  being  at  a 
cross-roads,  with  two  churches,  and  half  a  dozen 
other  buildings.  The  institution  was  located  there 
to  accommodate  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  West 
ern-Reserve  farmers.  President  Hinsdale,  who  now 
presides  over  the  college,  (it  was  elevated  to  a  col 
lege  twelve  or  fifteen  years  ago,)  says  :  "  The  Insti 
tute  building,  a  plain  but  substantially  built  brick 
structure,  was  put  on  the  top  of  a  windy  hill,  in  the 
middle  of  a  corn-field.  One  of  the  cannon  that  Gen 
eral  Scott's  soldiers  dragged  to  the  city  of  Mexico  in 
1847,  planted  on  the  roof  of  the  new  structure,  would 
not  have  commanded  a  score  of  farm-houses.  Here 
the  school  opened  at  the  time  Garfield  was  closing 
his  studies  at  Chester.  It  had  been  in  operation  two 
terms  when  he  offered  himself  for  enrollment.  Hi  • 


294  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

ram  furnished  a  location,  the  board  of  trustees  a 
building  and  the  first  teachers,  the  surrounding 
country  students,  but  the  spiritual  Hiram  made 
itself.  Everything  was  new.  Society,  traditions, 
the  genius  of  the  school,  had  to  be  evolved  from  the 
forces  of  the  teachers  and  pupils,  limited  by  the  gen 
eral  and  local  environment.  Let  no  one  be  sur 
prised  when  I  say  that  such  a  school  as  this  was 
the  best  of  all  places  for  young  Garfield.  There 
was  freedom,  opportunity,  a  large  society  of  rapidly 
and  eagerly  opening  young  minds,  instructors  who 
were  learned  enough  to  instruct  him,  and  abundant 
scope  for  ability  and  force  of  character,  of  which  he 
had  a  superabundance. 

"  Few  of  the  students  who  came  to  Hiram  in  that 
day  had  more  than  a  district-school  education, 
though  some  had  attended  the  high  schools  and 
academies  scattered  over  the  country ;  so  that  Gar- 
field,  although  he  had  made  but  slight  progress  in 
the  classics  and  the  higher  mathematics  previous  to 
his  arrival,  ranked  well-up  with  the  first  scholars, 
In  ability,  all  acknowledged  that  he  was  the  peer  of 
any  ;  soon  his  superiority  to  all  others  was  generally 
conceded." 

James  sought  an  early  opportunity  to  confer  with 
the  principal. 

"  I  want  your  advice  as  to  my  course  of  study," 
he  said.  "  My  purpose  is  to  enter  college,  and  I 
want  to  pursue  the  best  way  there." 

"  You  want  to  make  thorough  work  of  it,  as  you 


THE  ECLECTIC  INSTITUTE.  295 

go  along?"  the  principal  answered,  by  way  of  in 
quiry. 

"  Yes,  sir,  as  thorough  as  possible.  What  I  know, 
I  want  to  know  certainly  " 

"  That  is  a  good  idea ;  better  take  time,  and  mas 
ter  everything  as  you  go  along.  Many  students  fail 
because  they  are  satisfied  with  a  smattering  of 
knowledge.  Be  a  scholar,  or  don't  undertake." 

"  I  agree  with  you  perfectly,  and  I  am  ready  to 
accept  your  advice ;  and  wall  regulate  my  course 
accordingly." 

ff  Our  regular  preparatory  course  of  study  cannot 
be  improved,  I  think,"  continued  the  principal. 
"  You  can  pursue  higher  studies  here,  and  enter  col 
lege  in  advance  if  you  choose.  But  that  can  be  de 
termined  hereafter.  At  present,  you  can  go  on  with 
the  branches  undertaken,  and  time  will  indicate  im 
provement  and  changes  necessary." 

"  It  will  be  necessary  for  me  to  labor  some  out  of 
school  hours,  in  order  to  pay  all  my  bills,"  added 
James.  "Then  I  would  like  to  be  earning  some 
thing  more  to  help  me  through  college." 

"What  do  you  propose  to  do?" 

"I  can  work  on  a  farm,  or  in  a  carpenter's  shop, 
or  do  odd  jobs  at  most  anything  that  offers.  I  have 
already  seen  the  carpenter  here." 

"  Well,  what  prospect  for  work?" 

"After  a  few  days  he  will  have  work  for  me, 
mostly  planing ;  and  that  I  have  done  more  than 
anything  in  the  carpenter's  line." 

w  You  are  fprtunate  to  find  work  at  once*" 


296  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  I  never  have  failed  to  find  work,  since  I  have 
been  dependent  upon  my  own  exertions." 

"  I  hope  you  always  will  find  work,  that  you  may 
realize  the  accomplishment  of  your  object.  I  shall 
do  everything  in  my  power  to  assist  you,  and  do  it 
with  all  my  heart." 

"  Thank  you,"  responded  James,  grateful  for  the 
deep  interest  the  principal  appeared  to  manifest  in 
his  welfare. 

He  secured  quarters  in  a  room  with  four  other 
students,  rather  thick  for  the  highest  comfort,  but 
w  necessity  multiplies  bedfellows."  Here  he  set  about 
his  literary  work  with  a  zeal  and  devotion  that  at 
tracted  attention.  The  office  of  bell-ringer  obliged 
him  to  rise  very  early ;  for  the  first  bell  was  rung  at 
five  o'clock.  The  office  of  sweeper  compelled  him 
to  be  on  the  alert  at  an  early  hour,  also.  Prompt 
ness  was  the  leading  requirement  of  the  youth  who 
rang  the  bell.  It  must  be  rung  on  the  mark.  A 
single  minute  too  early,  or  too  late,  spoiled  the 
promptness.  On  the  mark  precisely,  was  the  rule. 
Nor  was  it  any  cross  to  James.  Promptness,  as  we 
have  seen,  was  one  of  his  born  qualities.  It  was  all 
the  same  to  him  whether  he  arose  at  four  or  five 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  or  whether  he  must  ring  the 
bell  three,  or  a  dozen  times  a  day.  He  adapted  him 
self  to  circumstances  with  perfect  ease.  Instead  of 
bending  to  circumstances,  circumstances  bent  to 
him.  He  made  a  good  bell-ringer  and  sweeper, 
simply  because  it  was  a  rule  with  him  to  do  every 
thing  well.  One  of  his  room-mates  said  to  him  s 


THE  ECLECTIC  INSTITUTE.  29? 

"Jim,  I  don't  see  but  you  sweep  just  as  well  as 
you  recite." 

"  Why  shouldn't  I  ?  "  James  responded,  promptly. 

"  Many  people  do  important  things  best,"  replied 
his  schoolmate,  "  and  a  lesson  is  more  important  than 
sweeping." 

"  You  are  heretical,"  exclaimed  James.  "  If  your 
views  upon  other  matters  are  not  sounder  than  that, 
you  will  not  make  a  very  safe  leader.  Sweeping, 
in  its  place,  is  just  as  important  as  a  lesson  in  Greek 
is,  in  its  place,  and,  therefore,  according  to  your  own 
rule,  should  be  done  as  well." 

"  You  are  right,  Jim  ;  I  yield  my  heresy,  like  the 
honest  boy  that  I  am." 

"  I  think  that  the  boy  who  would  not  sweep  well, 
would  not  study  well,"  continued  James.  "There 
may  be  exceptions  to  the  rule ;  but  the  rule  is  a  cor 
rect  one." 

"  I  guess  you  are  about  right,  Jim  ;  but  my  opin 
ion  is  that  few  persons  carry  out  the  rule.  There 
are  certain  things  about  which  most  people  are  su 
perficial,  however  thorough  they  may  be  in  others." 

"  That  may  be  true ;  I  shall  not  dispute  you 
there,"  rejoined  James  ;  "  and  that  is  one  reason  why 
so  many  persons  fail  of  success.  They  have  no  set 
tled  purpose  to  be  thorough.  Not  long  ago  I  read, 
in  the  life  of  Franklin,  that  he  claimed,  'thorough 
ness  must  be  a  principle  of  action.'  " 

ft  And  that  is  why  you  sweep  as  well  as  you 
study?"  interrupted  the  room-mate,  in  a  compli 
mentary  tone. 


298  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Yes,  of  course.  And  there  is  no  reason  why  a 
person  should  not  be  as  thorough  in  one  thing  as  in 
another.  I  don't  think  it  is  any  harder  to  do  work 
well  than  it  is  to  half  do  it.  I  know  that  it  is  much 
harder  to  recite  a  lesson  poorly  than  to  recite  it 
perfectly." 

"  I  found  that  out  some  time  ago,  to  rny  mortifica 
tion,"  rejoined  the  room-mate,  in  a  playful  manner. 
w  There  is  some  fun  in  a  perfect  lesson,  I  confess, 
and  a  great  amount  of  misery  in  a  poor  one." 

"  It  is  precisely  so  with  sweeping,"  added  James. 
tf  The  sight  of  a  half-swept  floor  would  be  an  eye 
sore  to  me  all  the  time.  It  would  be  all  of  a  piece 
with  a  poor  lesson." 

"  I  could  go  the  half-swept  floor  best,"  remarked 
the  room-mate, 

"  I  can  go  neither  best,"  retorted  James,  "  since 
there  is  no  need  of  it." 

James  had  told  the  trustees  to  try  him  at  bell- 
ringing  and  sweeping  two  weeks.  They  did  ;  and 
the  trial  was  perfectly  satisfactory.  He  was  per 
manently  installed  in  the  position. 

A  person,  now  an  esteemed  clergyman,  who  acted 
in  the  same  capacity  six  or  eight  years  after  James 
did,  writes,  "  When  I  did  janitor  work,  I  had  to  ring 
a  bell  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  another  at 
nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  I  think  this  had 
been  an  immemorial  custom  during  school  sessions. 
The  work  wras  quite  laborious,  and  much  depended 
upon  the  promptness  and  efficiency  of  the  person 
who  handled  the  bell-rope,  as  the  morning  had  to  be 


THE  ECLECTIC  INSTITUTE. 


299 


divided  into  equal  portions,  after  a  large  slice  had 
been  taken  out  of  it  for  the  chapel  exercises,  which 
were  always  protracted  to  uncertain  lengths.  It  was 
annoying,  tedious  work." 

A  lady  now  living  in  the  State  of  Illinois  was  a 
member  of  the  school  when  James  was  inaugurated 
bell-ringer,  and  she  writes  :  "  When  he  first  entered 
the  institute,  he  paid  for  his  schooling  by  doing  jani 
tor's  work, —  sweeping  the  floor  and  ringing  the  bell. 
I  can  see  him  even  now  standing,  in  the  morning, 
with  his  hand  on  the  bell-rope,  ready  to  give  the  sig 
nal  calling  teachers  and  scholars  to  engage  in  the 
duties  of  the  day.  As  we  passed  by,  entering  the 
school-room,  he  had  a  cheerful  word  for  every  one. 
He  was  the  most  popular  person  in  the  institute. 
He  was  always  good  natured,  fond  of  conversation, 
and  very  entertaining.  He  was  witty,  and  quick  at 
repartee ;  but  his  jokes,  though  brilliant  and  strik 
ing,  were  always  harmless,  and  he  never  would 
willingly  hurt  another's  feelings." 

The  young  reader  should  ponder  the  words, 
"most  popular  person  in  the  institute," — and  yet 
bell-ringer  and  sweeper !  Doing  the  most  menial 
work  there  was  to  do  with  the  same  cheerfulness 
and  thoroughness  that  he  would  solve  a  problem  in 
algebra  !  There  is  an  important  lesson  in  this  fact 
for  the  young.  They  can  afford  to  study  it.  The 
youth  who  becomes  the  most  "  popular  "  student  in 
the  institution,  notwithstanding  he  rings  the  bell  and 
sweeps  the  floors,  must  possess  unusual  qualities. 
Doubtless  he  made  the  office  of  bell-ringer  and 


300  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

sweeper  very  respectable.  We  dare  say  that  some 
students  were  willing  to  serve  in  that  capacity  there 
after  who  were  not  willing  to  serve  before.  Any 
necessary  and  useful  employment  is  respectable  ;  but 
many  youths  have  not  found  it  out.  The  students 
discovered  the  fact  in  the  Eclectic  Institute.  They 
learned  it  of  James.  He  dignified  the  humble  offices 
that  he  filled.  He  did  it  by  putting  character  into 
his  work. 

There  were  nearly  two  thousand  volumes  in  the 
library  belonging  to  the  school.  From  this  treasury 
of  knowledge  James  drew  largely.  Every  spare 
moment  of  his  time  was  occupied  with  books  there 
from.  He  began  to  be  an  enthusiastic  reader  of  poet 
ry  at  Geauga  Seminary.  "  Young's  Night  Thoughts," 
which  he  found  there,  was  the  volume  that  particu 
larly  impressed  his  mind,  just  before  he  became  a 
Christian  under  the  preaching  of  the  Disciples'  min 
ister  at  Orange.  His  tenacious  memory  retained 
much  that  he  read,  both  of  poetry  and  prose.  Here 
he  had  a  wider  field  to  explore,  more  books  to  oc 
cupy  his  attention,  though  not  more  time  to  read. 
He  began  to  read  topically  and  systematically. 

"What  are  you  doing  with  that  book?  "  inquired 
a  room-mate  ;  "  transcribing  it?  " 

"  Not  exactly,  though  I  am  making  it  mine  as 
much  as  possible,"  James  replied.  "Taking  notes." 

"  I  should  think  that  would  be  slow  work." 
.  "  Not  at  all,  the  way  I  do." 

"  What  way  are  you  doing?  " 

"  I  note  the  important  topics  on  which  the  book 


THE  ECLECTIC  INSTITUTE.  301 

treats,  with  the  pages,  that  I  may  turn  to  any  topic 
of  which  it  treats,  should  I  have  occasion  hereafter. 
I  mean  to  do  the  same  with  every  book  I  read,  and 
preserve  the  notes  for  future  use. 

"A  good  plan,  if  you  have  the  patience.  I  want 
to  dash  through  a  book  at  double-quick  ;  I  couldn't 
stop  for  such  business,"  added  the  schoolmate. 

"  I  spend  no  more  time  over  a  book  than  you  do, 
I  think,"  answered  James.  "  I  catch  the  drift,  and 
appropriate  the  strong  points,  and  let  all  the  rest 
slide.  But  taking  notes  serves  to  impress  the  con 
tents  upon  my  memory.  Then,  hereafter,  when  I 
speak  or  write  upon  a  given  topic,  my  notes  will 
direct  me  to  necessary  material." 

"  Your  ammunition  will  be  ready ;  all  you  will 
have  to  do  will  be  to  loaxl  and  fire,"  suggested  his 
room-mate.  "  That  is  not  bad.  I  think  the  plan  is 
a  good  one." 

"  It  will  save  much  time  in  the  long  run.  Instead 
of  being  obliged  to  hunt  for  information  on  topics,  I 
can  turn  to  it  at  once."  James  remarked  thus  with 
an  assurance  that  showed  his  purpose  was  well  ma 
tured.  He  will  testify  to-day  that  the  method  adopted 
has  been  one  of  the  most  helpful  and  important  rules 
of  his  life.  Many  scholars  have  pursued  a  similar 
course,  and  their  verdict  respecting  the  usefulness 
of  the  plan  is  unanimous.  It  is  an  excellent  method 
for  the  young  of  both  sexes,  whether  they  are  con 
templating  a  thorough  education  or  not ;  for  it  will 
promote  their  intelligence,  and  increase  their  general 
information.  This  result  is  desirable  in  the  humblest 


302  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

as  well  as  in  the  highest  position.  An  intelligent, 
well-informed  citizen  adorns  his  place.  That  hon 
ored  and  lifted  into  respectability  the  office  of  bell- 
ringer  and  sweeper  at  Hiram  Institute,  as  we  have 
seen. 

When  James  had  completed  his  collegiate  course, 
and  became  Principal  of  Hiram  Institute,  he  wrote 
to  a  youth  whom  he  desired  should  undertake  a  lib 
eral  course  of  education  : 

"Tell  me,  Burke,  do  you  not  feel  a  spirit  stirring 
within  you  that  longs  to  know  to  do  and  to  dare,  to 
hold  converse  with  the  great  world  of  thought,  and 
holds  before  you  some  high  and  noble  object  to 
which  the  vigor  of  your  mind  and  the  strength  of 
your  arm  may  be  given?  Do  you  not  have  longings 
like  these,  which  you  breathe  to  no  one,  and  which 
you  feel  must  be  heeded,  or  you  will  pass  through 
life  unsatisfied  and  regretful?  I  am  sure  you  have 
them,  and  they  will  forever  cling  round  your  heart 
till  you  obey  their  mandate.  They  are  the  voice  of 
that  nature  which  God  has  given  you,  and  which, 
when  obeyed,  will  bless  you  and  your  fellow-men." 

Whether  Burke  felt  this  "spirit  stirring  within 
him "  or  not,  it  is  certain  that  it  moved  James,  as 
some  mysterious  power,  when  he  entered  this  new 
field,  and  long  before,  impelling  him  onward  and 
upward  in  a  career  that  could  not  have  been  denied 
him  without  inflicting  an  everlasting  wound  upon  his 
soul. 

In  the  spring,  after  James  became  connected  with 
the  school,  the  principal  proposed  that  the  pupils 


THE  ECLECTIC  INSTITUTE.  303 

should  bring  trees  from  the  forest,  and  set  them  out 
on  the  Campus,  to  adorn  the  grounds,  and  provide 
a  lovely  shade  for  those  who  would  gather  there 
twenty  and  thirty  years  hence. 

"A  capital  idea  !  "  exclaimed  James  to  Baker,  with 
whom  he  was  conferring  upon  the  subject.  "  If  each 
male  student  will  put  out  one  tree  for  himself,  and 
one  for  a  female  student,  we  can  cover  the  Campus 
with  trees,  and  the  streets  near  by  as  well ;  and  do 
it  next  Saturday,  too." 

"That  is  real  gallantry,  Jim,"  answered  Baker. 
w  The  girls,  of  course,  can't  set  out  trees." 

"  And  the  boys  will  take  pride  in  setting  them  out 
for  them,"  interrupted  James. 

"  And  calling  them  by  their  names,"  added  Baker, 
suggestively. 

"  A  bright  idea  is  that,  to  name  the  trees  after 
those  for  whom  they  are  set  out,"  responded  James. 
"You  are  an  original  genius,  George;  I  should  not 
have  thought  of  that.  It  must  be  because  you  think 
more  of  girls  than  I  do." 

"  But  the  plan  to  plant  a  tree  for  each  girl  is  yours, 
Jim.  I  can't  claim  the  patent  for  that." 

"  I  am  not  ashamed  to  own  it.  It  is  worthy  of  the 
boys  of  the  Western  Reserve.  We  can  have  a  rich 
time  in  carrying  out  the  plan,  better  than  a  ride  or 
party." 

"  I  think  so,"  said  Baker. 

w  The  satisfaction  of  knowing  we  are  doing  some 
thing  that  will  be  a  great  blessing  thirty  years  from 


304  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

now,  adding  beauty  and  comfort  to  the  Institute  and 
town,  is  stimulus  enough,"  continued  James. 

This  enterprise  was  nobly  prosecuted,  and  the 
trees  were  planted  and  named  as  above.  James  en 
joyed  it  hugely.  He  was  a  great  admirer  of  nature, 
and  a  tree  or  a  flower  afforded  him  genuine  pleasure. 
To  plant  trees  about  his  favorite  institution,  that 
would  furnish  shady  walks  in  future  days,  was  to 
him  a  privilege  that  he  would  not  willingly  miss. 

During  his  first  year's  connection  with  the  school, 
a  female  student  of  considerable  brightness  and 
scholarship  violated  some  rule  of  the  institution,  for 
which  the  principal  thought  she  should  be  publicly 
rebuked.  The  rebuke  would  be  administered  after 
the  chapel  exercises  on  the  following  morning.  The 
affair  caused  much  discussion  among  the  pupils. 
Their  sympathies  were  wholly  enlisted  for  the  girl, 
as  she  was  deservedly  quite  popular. 

"  It  is  most  too  bad,"  remarked  James  to  a  lady 
student.  "It  will  well-nigh  kill  her;  I  pity  her." 

"  I  think  it  is  a  shame  to  make  a  small  affair  like 
that  so  public,"  replied  the  young  lady.  "  If  it  was 
one  of  the  boys  it  would  not  be  half  so  bad." 

"You  think  boys  are  used  to  it,  or  are  of  less  con 
sequence  than  girls?"  retorted  James,  in  a  vein  of 
humor. 

"  Not  exactly  that.  I  think  the  worst  way  of  re 
buking  a  young  lady  should  not  be  selected." 

"  I  agree  with  you  exactly ;  but  I  suppose  there 
is  no  help  for  it  now." 


THE  ECLECTIC  INSTITUTE.  305 

"  Unless  we  get  up  a  petition  asking  that  the  re 
buke  be  privately  administered." 

"I  will  sign  it,"  said  James;  "but  it  must  be  done 
immediately." 

"  I  will  see  some  of  the  girls  at  once."  And,  so 
saying,  the  young  lady  hastened  away. 

In  many  groups  the  matter  was  discussed  on  that 
day,  and  much  excitement  prevailed ;  but  the  move 
ment  for  a  petition  failed,  and  the  following  morn 
ing  dawned  with  the  assurance  that  the  rebuke 
would  be  administered  'before  the  whole  school. 
The  scholars  assembled  with  hearts  full  of  pity  foi 
the  unfortunate  girl.  No  one  felt  more  keenly  foi 
her  than  James.  He  expected  to  see  her  overcome 
and  crushed. 

The  principal  called  upon  her  to  rise,  and  the 
rebuke  was  administered,  while  all  the  scholars 
dropped  their  heads  in  pity  for  her.  She  survived 
the  ordeal.  She  neither  wept  nor  fainted.  On  re 
tiring  from  the  chapel,  with  the  crowd  of  scholars, 
she  remarked  to  James,  in  the  hearing  of  many, 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  Uncle  Sutherland  was  rather 
personal." 

The  jocose  remark  created  a  laugh  all  round,  and 
none  laughed  more  heartily  than  James,  who  con 
cluded  that  their  profound  sympathies  had  been 
sadly  wasted. 

James  had  not  been  at  Hiram  long  before  the  stu 
dents   discovered  one  prominent  trait  of  his   char 
acter,  viz.,  a  keen  sense  of  justice.     He  was  fond 
of  ball-playing,  and  he  wanted  everybody  to  enjoy 

20 


306  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

it.  One  day  he  took  up  the  bat  to  enjoy  a  game, 
when  he  observed  several  of  the  smaller  boys  look 
ing  on  wistfully,  seeming  to  say  in  their  hearts,  we 
wish  we  could  play. 

"Are  not  those  boys  in  the  game?"  he  asked. 

"What  I  those  little  chaps?  Of  course  not;  they 
would  spoil  the  game." 

"  But  they  want  to  play  just  as  much  as  we  do. 
Let  them  come  in  !  " 

"  No ;  we  don't  want  the  game  spoiled.  They 
can't  play ! " 

"  Neither  shall  I,  if  they  cannot,"  added  James, 
decidedly.  And  he  threw  down  his  bat. 

"  Well,  let  them  come,  then,"  shouted  one  of  the 
players,  who  wanted  the  game  to  go  on.  "  Spoil  it, 
if  you  will." 

"We  shall  make  it  livelier,"  responded  James, 
taking  up  his  bat,  and  calling  upon  the  little  boys  to 
fall  in.  "We  may  not  have  quite  so  scientific  a 
game,  but  then  all  hands  will  have  the  fun  of  it; 
and  that  is  what  the  game  is  for." 


XX. 

STUDENT  AND   TEACHER. 

AMES  ceased  to  be  janitor  at  the  close  of 
his  first  year  at  Hiram,  and  was  pro 
moted  to  assistant  teacher  of  the  Eng 
lish  department  and  ancient  languages. 
His  rapid  advancement  is  set  forth  by  Dr.  Hins- 
dale,  who  is  now  president  of  the  institution  : 

"  His  mind  was  now  reaching  out  in  all  directions  ; 
and  all  the  more  widely  because  the  elastic  course 
of  study,  and  the  absence  of  traditionary  trammels, 
gave  him  room.  He  was  a  vast  elemental  force, 
and  nothing  was  so  essential  as  space  and  opportu 
nity.  .  Hiram  was  now  forming  her  future  teachers, 
as  well  as  creating  her  own  culture.  Naturally, 
then,  when  he  had  been  only  one  year  in  the  school 
he  was  given  a  place  in  the  corps  of  teachers.  In 
the  catalogue  of  i853~'54  his  name  appears  both 
with  the  pupils  and  teachers :  *  James  A.  Garfield, 
Cuyahoga  County,'  and  '  J.  A.  Garfield,  Teacher  in 
the  English  Department,  and  of  the  Ancient  Lan 
guages.'  His  admission  to  the  faculty  page  may 

307 


308  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

be  an  index  to  a  certain  rawness  in  the  school ;  but 
it  gave  to  his  talents  and  ambition  the  play  that  an 
older  school,  with  higher  standards,  could  not  have 
afforded  him." 

Now  he  was  filling  three  important  positions,  stu 
dent,  teacher,  and  carpenter.  He  had  become 
nearly  as  indispensable  to-  the  carpenter's  business 
as  to  that  of  the  Institute.  The  sound  of  his  ham 
mer,  before  and  after  school,  waajamiliar  to  the 
students  and  the  citizens. 

"  See  there  !  "  exclaimed  Clark,  pointing  to  Jamej 
on  the  roof  of  a  house,  building  near  the  academy, 
"Jim  has  taken  that  roof  to  shingle." 

"  Alone?  "  inquired  Jones. 

"  Yes,  alone  ;  and  it  won't  take  him  long,  either, 
if  he  keeps  his  hammer  going  as  it  goes  now.  Jim's 
a  brick." 

"Very  little  brick  about  him,  I  should  say;  more 
brain  than  brick." 

"  With  steam  enough  on  all  the  while  to  keep  his 
brain  running.  Did  you  ever  see  such  a  worker?" 

"Never.  Work  seems  as  necessary  to  him  as  air 
and  food.  If  he  was  not  compelled  to  work,  in  order 
to  pay  his  way,  his  brain  would  shatter  his  body  all 
to  pieces  in  a  year.  He  is  about  the  only  student  I 
ever  thought  was  fortunate  in  being  poor  as  a  stray 
cat." 

"  I  declare,  I  never  thought  of  that.  Poverty  is 
a  blessing  sometimes.  'I  had  thought  it  was  a  curse 
to  a  student  always." 

"It    is  Jim's    salvation,    added  Jones.     "I   have 


STUDENT  AND   TEACHER.  309 

thought  of  it  many  times.  I  suppose  that  his  car 
pentering  business  is  better  exercise  for  him  than 
our  ball-playing,  or  pitching  quoits." 
,  "Minus  the  fun,"  added  Clark,  quickly ;  really 
believing  that  James  was  depriving  himself  of  all 
first-class  sport.  "  Have  you  not  observed  how  he 
enjoys  a  game  of  ball  or  quoits  when  he  joins  us?  " 

"  Of  course  ;  but  he  does  not  seem  to  me  to  enjoy 
these  games  any  more  than  he  enjoys  study,  reading, 
and  manual  labor.  He  studies  just  as  he  plays 
ball,  exactly,  with  all  his  might;  and  I  suppose  that 
is  the  way  we  all  ought  to  do." 

"  That  is  what  Father  Bentley  said  in  his  sermon 
on,  'Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with 
thy  might/  You  remember  it?" 

"Certainly;  and  who  knows  but  Father  Bentley 
has  engaged  Ji'm  to  illustrate  his  doctrine?  He 
preaches  and  Jim  practices.  Nobody  in  the  Eclec 
tic  Institute  will  dispute  such  a  sermon  while  Jim's 
about;  you  can  count  on  that."  The  remark  was 
made  jocosely,  and,  at  the  same,  a  compliment  was 
intended  for  James. 

This  conversation  discloses  the  facts  about  James' 
manual  labor  while  connected  with  the  Institute.  We 
have  not  space  for  the  details  of  his  work  with  the 
plane  and  hammer  during  the  whole  period.  We 
can  only  say,  here,  once  for  all,  that  he  continued  to 
add  to  his  money  by  manual  labor  to  the  end  of 
his  three  years  at  Hiram.  He  planed  all  the  siding 
of  the  new  house  that  he  was  shingling  when  the 
foregoing  conversation  took  place.  His  labor  was 


3io 


LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


expended  upon  other  buildings,  also,  in  the  place, 
during  that  period.  Several  jobs  of  farming,  also, 
were  undertaken  at  different  times.  He  was  laying 
up  money  to  assist  himself  in  college,  in  addition  to 
paying  his  way  at  the  Institute.  * 

When  James  entered  the  school  his  attention  was 
attracted  to  a  class  of  three  in  geometry.  As  he 
listened  to  the  recitation  in  this  study,  which  was  ani 
mated  and  sharp,  he  became  particularly  impressed. 
Since  that  time  he  said,  "  I  regarded  teacher  and  class 
with  reverential  awe."  The  three  persons  in  the 
class  were  William  B.  Hazen,  who  became  one  of 
our  most  distinguished  major-generals  in  the  late 
rebellion,  and  who  is  now  on  the  Indian  frontier, 
Geo.  A.  Baker,  now  a  prominent  citizen  of  Cleve 
land,  Ohio,  and  Miss  Almeda  A.  Booth,  a  very  tal 
ented  lady  of  nearly  thirty  years,  who  was  teach 
ing  in  the  school,  and  at  the  same  time  pursuing 
her  studies  in  the  higher  mathematics  and  clas 
sics.  As  this  Miss  Booth  exerted  a  more  power 
ful  influence  upon  James  than  any  other  teacher, 
except  Dr.  Mark  Hopkins,  of  Williams  College,  we 
shall  speak  of  her  particularly,  and  her  estimate  of 
our  hero.  She  was  the  daughter  of  a  Methodist 
preacher,  whose  circuit  extended  a  thousand  miles 
on  the  Reserve  ;  a  man  of  marked  mental  strength, 
and  of  great  tact  and  energy,  The  daughter  inher 
ited  her  lather's  intellectual  power  and  force  of  char 
acter,  so  that  when  the  young  man  to  whom  she 
was  betrothed  died,  she  resolved  to  consecrate  her 
self  to  higher  intellectual  culture,  that  her  useful- 


STUDENT  AND   TEACHER. 


ness  might  be  augmented.  This  resolution  brought 
her  to  the  Eclectic  Institute.  She  died  in  1875, 
and  afterwards  General  Garfield  said  of  her  talents, 
"  When  she  was  twelve  years  of  age  she  used  to  puz 
zle  her  teachers  with  questions,  and  distress  them 
by  correcting  their  mistakes.  One  of  these,  a  male 
teacher,  who  was  too  proud  to  acknowledge  the  cor 
rections  of  a  child,  called  upon  the  most  learned 
man  in  town  for  help  and  advice  in  regard  to  a  point 
of  dispute  between  them.  '  He  was  told  that  he 
was  in  error,  and  that  he  must  acknowledge  his 
mistake.  The  teacher  was  manly  enough  to  follow 
this  wise  advice,  and  thereafter  made  this  little  girl 
his  friend  and  helper.  It  was  like  her  to  help  him 
quietly,  and  without  boasting.  During  her  whole 
life  none  of  her  friends  ever  heard  an  intimation 
fiom  her  that  she  had  ever  achieved  an  intellectual 
triumph  over  anybody  in  the  world." 

It  was  fortunate  for  James  that  this  accomplished 
lady  became  deeply  interested  in  his  progress  and 
welfare. 

"  The  most  remarkable  young  man  I  ever  met," 
she  said  to  the  principal.  "  There  must  be  a  grand 
future  before  him." 

"  True,  if  he  does  not  fall  out  of  the  way,"  an 
swered  the  principal. 

"  I  scarcely  thought  that  were  possible  when  I 
spoke.  His  Christian  purpose  is  one  of  the  remark 
able  things  about  him.  His  talents,  work,  every 
thing,  appear  to  be  subject  to  this  Christian  aim.  I 
feel  that  he  will  make  a  power  in  the  world." 


312  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  I  agree  with  you  :  such  are  my  feelings  in  regard 
to  him,  notwithstanding  the  prevalence  of  tempta 
tions  that  lure  and  destroy  so  many  of  our  hopeful 
young  men."  The  principal  had  seen  more  of  tne 
world  than  Miss  Booth,  so  he  spoke  with  less  confi 
dence. 

James  had  not  been  connected  with  the  school  but 
a  few  months  before  his  studies  were  the  same  as 
those  of  Miss  Booth,  and  they  were  in  the  same 
classes.  "  I  was  far  behind  Miss  Booth  in  mathe 
matics  and  the  physical  sciences,"  he  says  now ; 
"but  we  were  nearly  in  the  same  place  in  Greek  and 
Latin."  She  could  render  him  essential  aid  in  his 
studies,  and  she  delighted  to  do  it.  Their  studies 
were  nearly  the  same  until  he  ceased  to  be  a  member 
of  the  school.  The  librarian  kept  text-books  for 
sale,  and  the  following  are  his  memoranda  of  sales 
to  them  : 

"January,  1852.     Latin  Grammar  and  Caesar. 
March,  1852.     Greek  Grammar. 
April,  1852.     French  Grammar. 
August,  1852.     German  Grammar  and  Reader. 
November,  1852.     Xenophon's  Memorabilies  and 
Greek  Testament." 

All  this  in  a  single  year. 

"August,  1853.     Sophocles  and  Herodotus. 

November,  1853.     Homer's  Iliad." 

During  the  fall  term  of  1853,  Miss  Booth  and 
James  read  about  one  hundred  pages  of  Herodotus 
and  one  hundred  of  Livy.  They  met  two  of  the 


STUDENT  AND    TEACHER. 


313 


professors,  also,  on  two  evenings  of  each  week,  to 
make  a  joint  translation  of  the  book  of  Romans. 
His  diary  has  this  record  for  December  15,  1853: 
"Translation  society  sat  three  hours  at  Miss  Booth's 
room,  and  agreed  upon  the  translation  of  nine  verses." 
The  record  shows  that  these  studies  were  pursued 
critically,  and  therefore  slowly. 

Miss  Booth  was  more  or  leSs  familiar  with  the 
standard  authors  of  English  literature,  both  prose 
and  poetry ;  and  she  aided  James  greatly  in  the  se 
lection  of  books,  many  of  which  they  read  together, 
discussing  their  merits,  and  making  notes.  In  a 
tribute  to  her  memory,  a  few  years  since,  General 
Garfield  said  :  "  The  few  spare  hours  which  school- 
work  left  us,  were  devoted  to  such  pursuits  as  each 
preferred,  but  much  study  was  done  in  common.  I 
can  name  twenty  or  thirty  books,  which  will  be 
doubly  precious  to  me  because  they  were  read  and 
discussed  in  company  with  her.  I  can  still  read  be 
tween  the  lines  the  memories  of  her  first  impressions 
of  the  page,  and  her  judgment  of  its  merits.  She 
was  always  ready  to  aid  any  friend  with  her  best 
efforts." 

James  was  appointed  to  prepare  a  thesis  for  an 
exhibition  day.  One  evening  he  repaired  to  the 
room  of  Miss  Booth. 

"  I  want  your  help,  Miss  Booth,"  he  said.  "  I  am 
afraid  that  I  shall  make  a  botch  of  it  without  your 
assistance." 

"  I  will  risk  you,"  Miss  Booth  replied ;  "but  I  will 
render  you  all  the  assistance  in  my  power." 


314  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  That  will  be  all  I  shall  need,"  remarked  James, 
facetiously  ;  "  and  I  hardly  see  how  I  can  get  along 
with  less.  I  like  to  talk  over  subjects  before  I  write ; 
it  is  a  great  help  to  me." 

"  It  is  an  essential  help  to  everybody,"  answered 
Miss  Booth.  "  Two  heads  may  be  better  than  one 
in  canvassing  any  subject.  Discussion  awakens 
thought,  sharper  and  more  original ;  and  it  often 
directs  the  inquirer  to  new  and  fresher  sources  of 
information.  I  am  at  leisure  to  discuss  your  thesis 
at  length." 

So  James  opened  the  subject  by  stating  some  of 
his  difficulties,  and  making  inquiries.  Both  were 
soon  absorbed  in  the  subject  before  them,  so  thor 
oughly  absorbed  as  to  take  no  riote  of  time,  nor 
dream  that  the  night  was  gliding  away,  until  sur 
prised  by  the  morning  light  coming  in  at  the  window. 

In  1853  Miss  Booth  proposed  that  twelve  of  the 
advanced  pupils — James  and  herself  among  the 
number  — -  should  organize  i  literary  society  for  the 
purpose  of  spending  the  approaching  vacation  of 
four  weeks  in  a  more  thorough  study  of  the  classics. 
The  society  was  formed,  and  the  services  of  one  of 
the  professors  were  secured,  to  whom  they  recited 
statedly.  During  that  vacation  they  read  "the  Pas 
torals  of  Virgil,  the  first  six  books  of  the  Iliad,  ac 
companied  by  a  thorough  drill  in  the  Latin  and 
Greek  grammars  at  each  recitation."  It  proved  a  very 
profitable  vacation  to  James,  a  season  to  which  he 
always  looked  back  with  pride  and  pleasure.  He 
regarded  Miss  Booth  as  the  moving  and  controlling 


STUDENT  AND    TEACHER.  315 

spirit  of  that  society,  increasing  his  sense  of  obliga 
tion  to  her. 

Perhaps  the  chief  reason  of  Miss  Booth's  confi 
dence  in  the  Christian  purpose  of  James,  as  ex 
pressed  to  the  principal,  was  found  in  his  consistent 
Christian  life.  From  the  time  he  became  a  member 
of  the  Institute  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  religious 
meetings,  identifying  himself  with  the  people  of  God 
in  the  village.  His  exhortations  and  appeals  were 
examples  of  earnestness  and  eloquence,  to  which  the 
students  and  citizens  listened  in  rapt  attention.  No 
student  of  so  much  power  in  religious  meetings  had 
been  connected  with  the  school.  Indeed,  it  was  the 
universal  testimony  that  no  such  speaker,  of  his  age, 
had  ever  been  heard. 

Father  Bentley,  pastor  of  the  Disciples'  Church  in 
Hiram,  \vas  wonderfully  drawn  to  James.  After  a 
few  months,  he  felt  that  James'  presence  was  almost 
indispensable  to  the  success  of  a  meeting.  He  in 
vited  him  specially  to  address  the.  audience.  Often 
he  urged  him  to  take  a  seat  upon  the  platform,  that 
he  might  address  the  assembly  to  better  advantage. 
In  his  absence  he  invited  James  to  take  charge  of 
the  meeting.  The  last  year  of  his  stay  at  Hiram, 
Father  Bentley  persuaded  him  several  times  to  oc 
cupy  his  pulpit  on  the  Sabbath,  and  preach,  which 
he  did  to  the  gratification  of  the  audience. 

His  gift  at  public  speaking  was  so  remarkable, 
that  a  demand  was  frequently  made  upon  him  for  a 
speech  on  social  and  public  occasions.  It  is  related, 
that,  at  a  weekly  prayer  meeting,  he  was  on  the 


316  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE., 

platform  with  Father  Bentley,  waiting  to  perform 
his  accustomed  part,  when  a  messenger  came  for 
him  to  address  a  political  meeting,  where  speakers 
had  failed  them.  Father  Bentley  scarcely  noticed 
what  was  going  on,  until  James  was  half-way  down 
the  aisle,  when  he  called  out : 

"James,  don't  go!"  then  quickly,  as  if  thinking 
his  request  might  be  unreasonable,  he  said  to  the 
congregation,  "Never  mind,  let  him  go;  that  boy 
will  yet  be  President  of  the  United  States." 

"  I  remember  his  vigorous  exhortations  now,"  re 
marked  a  Christian  woman  recently,  who  was  con 
nected  with  the  Institute  at  that  time ;  "  they  were 
different  from  anything  I  was  accustomed  to  hear  in 
conference  meetings." 

"  How  were  they  different?  "  she  was  asked. 

"  They  were  original  and  fresh  beyond  anything  I 
had  ever  heard  in  such  meetings ;  nothing  common 
place  or  stale  about  them,  making  one  feel  that  they 
were  not  the  thoughts  of  some  commentator  he  was 
giving  us  at  second  hand,  but  the  product  of  his  own 
genius  and  great  talents,  uttered  with  real  earnestness 
and  sincerity." 

"  He  must  have  possessed  a  wonderful  command 
of  language,"  remarked  her  friend. 

"  That  was  one  thing  that  charmed  us.  His  flow 
of  language,  appropriate  and  select,  was  like  a  river. 
It  seemed  as  if  he  had  only  to  open  his  mouth,  and 
thoughts  flowed  out  clothed  in  language  that  was  all 
aglow.  Many,  many  times  I  heard  the  remark/ he 
speaks  as  easily  as  he  breathes.'  Well,"  she  con- 


STUDENT  AND    TEACHER.  317 

tinued,  after  a  pause,  "  he  was  substantially  just 
such  a  speaker  then  as  he  is  now,  bating  the  dignity 
that  age  and  experience  impart." 

In  this  connection  we  should  speak  of  him  as  a 
debater  in  the  lyceum.  He  was  older  and  more  ex 
perienced  at  Hiram  than  he  was  at  Chester,  and  his 
efforts  in  debate  were  accordingly  more  manly.  The 
Illinois  ladv,  from  whom  we  have  already  quoted, 
says,  "  In  the  lyceum  he  early  took  rank  far  above 
the  others  as  a  speaker  and  debater."  His  interest 
in  public  matters  was  growing  with  the  excitement 
of  the  times.  The  infamous  fugitive-slave  law,  for 
the  restoration  of  runaway  slaves  to  their  masters, 
had  been  enacted  by  Congress,  as  a  compromise 
measure,  and  no  people  of  the  country  felt  more 
outraged  by  the  attempts  to  enforce  the  Act  than  the 
people  of  the  Western  Reserve.  The  excitement 
became  intense.  Young  men  partook  of  it  in  com 
mon  with  older  citizens.  It  pervaded  the  higher 
schools.  It  was  as  strong  in  the  Eclectic  Institute 
as  elsewhere.  School  and  village  lyceums  received 
an  impetus  from  it.  James  was  an  uncompromising 
foe  to  slavery  before ;  if  possible,  he  was  more  so 
now.  The  excitement  fired  him  up  in  debate.  He 
was  more  denunciatory  than  ever  of  slavery.  He 
had  been  a  great  admirer  of  Daniel  Webster,  but 
his  advocacy  of  the  fugitive-slave  bill  awakened  his 
contempt.  He  was  not  a  young  man  to  conceal  his 
feelings,  and  so  his  utterance  was  emphatic. 

"  A  covenant  with  death,  and  an  agreement  with 
hell,"  he  exclaimed,  quoting  from  Isaiah,  w  that  vvili 


3l8  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

destroy  the  authors  of  it.  The  cry  of  the  oppressed 
and  down-trodden  will  appeal  to  the  Almighty  for 
retribution,  like  that  of  the  blood  of  Abel.  The 
lightning  of  divine  wrath  will  yet  shiver  the  old, 
gnarled  tree  of  slavery  to  pieces,  leaving  neither 
root  nor  branch  !  " 

When  James  became  assistant  teacher,  he  had  for 
a  pupil,  in  his  Greek  class,  Miss  Lucretia  Rudolph, 
the  young  lady  in  whom  he  was  so  much  interested 
at  Chester.  Her  father  removed  to  Hiram,  in  order 
to  give  her  a  better  opportunity  to  acquire  a  thor 
ough  education. 

James  was  glad  to  meet  her ;  and  he  was  happy 
to  welcome  so  talented  a  scholar  as  pupil.  He  had 
no  expectation  that  she  would  ever  stand  in  a  closer 
relation  to  him  than  pupil.  But  the  weeks  and 
months  rolled  on,  and  she  became  one  of  his  per 
manent  scholars,  not  only  in  Greek,  but  in  other 
branches  as  well ;  in  all  of  them  developing  a  schol 
arship  that  won  his  admiration.  At  the  same  time 
her  many  social  and  moral  qualities  impressed  him, 
and  the  impression  deepened  from  month  to  month. 
The  result  was,  before  he  closed  his  connection  with 
the  school,  that  a  mutual  attachment  grew  up  be 
tween  them,  and  she  engaged  to  become  his  wife 
when  he  had  completed  his  course  of  study,  and  was 
settled.  He  was  twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  Miss 
Rudolph  was  one  year  his  junior. 

This  was  one  of  the  most  important  steps  that 
James  had  taken,  and  it  proved  to  be  one  of  the 
most  fortunate.  Those  who  prophesied  that  the  en- 


STUDENT  AND   TEACHER.  319 

gagement  would  interfere  with  his  studies  did  not 
fully  understand  or  appreciate  the  solidity  of  his 
character  nor  the  inflexibility  of  his  purpose.  Such 
love  affairs  are  often  deprecated  because  so  many 
young  men  allow  them  to  interfere  with  their  life- 
purpose,  thus  disclosing  weakness  and  puerile  ideas. 
With  James  the  love  affair  became  an  aid  to  the  con 
trolling  purpose  of  his  life,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
served  to  refine  his  coarser  qualities  by  passing  them 
through  the  fire  of  a  pure  ami  exalted  passion.  True 
love  is  sweeter  and  higher  than  the  brightest  talents, 
and  when  its  pure  and  elevating  influence  refines  the 
latter  they  shine  with  a  fairer  lustre  than  ever.  This 
was  eminently  true  of  James. 

Notwithstanding  James  was  so  bashful  and  retiring 
when  he  first  went  to  Chester  to  commence  his  stud 
ies,  he  became  one  of  the  most  social  and  genial 
students  at  Hiram.  He  was  the  life  of  the  social 
circle.  Unlike  many  ripe  students,  whose  minds 
are  wholly  absorbed  in  their  studies,  he  could  unbend 
himself,  and  enter  into  a  social  occasion  with  zest, 
bringing  his  talents,  his  acquisitions,  his  wit  and 
humor,  to  contribute  to  the  enjoyment  of  all.  The 
lady  in  Illinois,  from  whom  we  have  twice  quoted, 
says  on  this  point : 

"During  the  month  of  June  the  entire  school  went 
in  carnages  to  their  annual  grove-meeting,  at  Ran 
dolph,  some  twenty-five  miles  away.  On  this  trip 
he  was  the  life  of  the  party,  occasionally  bursting 
out  in  an  eloquent  strain  at  the  sight  of  a  bird,  or  a 
traili  vine,  or  a  venerable  giant  of  the  forest  He 


320  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

would  repeat  poetry  by  the  hour,  having  a  very  re 
tentive  memory." 

The  reader  learns  from  this,  that  it  was  not w  small 
talk,"  nor  mere  slang  and  folly,  that  he  contributed 
to  a  social  time,  but  sensible,  instructive  material. 
He  had  no  sympathy  for,  or  patience  with,  young 
men  who  dabbled  in  silly  or  trifling  conversation  and 
acts,  to  entertain  associates.  To  him  it  was  evidence 
of  such  inherent  weakness,  and  absence  of  common 
sense,  that  it  aroused  his  contempt.  One  who  was 
intimate  with  him  in  social  gatherings  at  Hiram 
makes  a  remark  that  discloses  an  important  element 
of  his  popularity.  "There  was  a  cordiality  in  his 
disposition  which  won  quickly  the  favor  and  esteem 
of  others.  He  had  a  happy  habit  of  shaking  hands, 
and  would  give  a  hearty  grip,  which  betokened  a 
kind-hearted  feeling  for  all."  The  same  writer  says, 
what  confirms  the  foregoing  statements  respecting 
his  recognized  abilities,  "In  those  days,  both  the 
faculty  and  pupils  were  in  the  habit  of  calling  him 
'the  second  Webster,'  and  the  remark  was  common, 
'  He  will  fill  the  White  House  yet.' " 

There  was  one  branch  of  the  fine  arts  that  he 
pursued,  to  gratify  a  taste  in  that  direction,  which 
should  receive  a  passing  notice.  It  was  mezzotint 
drawing.  He  became  so  proficient  in  the  art  that 
he  was  appointed  teacher  of  the  same.  The  lady 
from  whom  we  have  quoted  was  one  of  his  pupils, 
and  she  writes, 

"  One  of  his  gifts  w  as  that  of  mezzotint  drawing,  and 
he  gave  instruction  in  this  branch.  I  was  one  of  his 


STUDENT  AND  TEACHER.  321 

pupils  in  this,  and  have  now  the  picture  of  a  cross, 
upon  which  he  did  some  shading  and  put  on  the 
finishing  touches.  Upon  the  margin  is  written,  in  the 
hand  of  the  noted  teacher,  his  own  name  and  his 
pupils.  There  are,  also,  two  other  drawings,  one 
of  a  large  European  bird  on  the  bough  of  a  tree, 
and  the  other  a  church-yard  scene  in  winter,  done  by 
him  at  that  time." 

Thus  the  versatility  of  his  talents,  enforced  by  his 
intense  application,  appeared  to  win  in  almost  any 
undertaking.  Without  his  severe  application,  his 
versatility  would  not  have  availed  much.  He  re 
duced  that  old  maxim  thoroughly  to  practice,  "Ac 
complish,  or  never  attempt,"  because  his  application 
was  invincible.  Here  was  the  secret  of  his  success 
in  teaching, — just  as  good  a  teacher  as  scholar. 
Before  the  completion  of  his  academic  course  the 
trustees  made  his  success  a  subject  of  serious  con 
sideration. 

"  We  must  secure  his  return  *o  Hiram  as  soon  as 
he  gets  through  college,"  said  the  chairman.  "  He 
will  make  a  popular  and  successful  professor." 

tf  That  is  true,"  replied  another  trustee.  "  In  what 
department  would  you  put  him?  " 

"  Any  department  that  is  open.  He  will  fill  any 
position  admirably.  I  have  noticed  that  when  we 
conclude  that  he  is  particularly  suited  to  one  posi 
tion,  he  soon  surprises  us  by  filling  another  equally 
well." 

"  It  will  certainly  be  for  the  popularity  of  the 
school  to  install  him  over  a  prominent  professorship 
21 


322  LOG-CABIN   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

here,"  added  the  chairman;  "and  I  dare  say  it  will- 
be  agreeable  to  his  feelings." 

The  subject  was  not  dropped  here.  Both  the  prin 
cipal  and  chairman  of  the  board  interviewed  James 
upon  the  subject ;  and  when  he  left  the  Institute 
for  college,  it  was  well  understood  that  he  would  re 
turn  at  the  close  of  his  college  course.  The  present 
president  of  the  institution  says  : 

"  I  shall  not  here  speak  of  him  as  a  teacher  further 
than  to  say,  in  two  years'  service  he  had  demon 
strated  his  great  ability  in  that  capacity,  had  won  the 
hearts  of  the  students  generally,  and  had  wrought 
in  the  minds  of  the  school  authorities  the  conviction 
that  his  further  services  would  be  indispensable  on 
his  return  from  college." 

On  his  success  as  a  teacher,  when  preparing  for 
college,  the  Illinois  lady,  who  was  his  pupil,  writes  : 

"  He  was  a  most  entertaining  teacher,  —  ready 
with  illustrations,  and  possessing,  in  a  marked  de 
gree,  the  power  of  exciting  the  interest  of  the  schol 
ars,  and  afterward  making  clear  to  them  the  les 
sons.  In  the  arithmetic  class  there  were  ninety 
pupils,  and  I  cannot  recollect  a  time  when  there 
was  any  flagging  in  the  interest.  There  were  never 
any  cases  of  unruly  conduct,  or  a  disposition  to 
shirk.  With  scholars  who  were  slow  of  compre 
hension,  or  to  whom  recitations  were  a  burden,  on 
account  of  their  modest  or  retiring  disposition,  he 
was  specially  attentive,  and  by  encouraging  words 
and  gentle  assistance  would  manage  to  put  all  al 


STUDENT  AND   TEACHER.  323 

their  ease,  and  awaken  in  them  a  confidence  in  them 
selves." 

A  leading  lawyer  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  Hon.  J.  H. 
Rhodes,  referring  to  his  connection  with  the  school, 
at  the  time  James  was  studying  and  teaching,  in  a 
public  assembly,  said, 

"  I  remember  a  circumstance  that  had  much  to  do 
with  my  remaining  at  Hiram.  I  was  a  little  home 
sick,  and  one  day  I  went  into  the  large  hall  of  the 
college  building,  and  the  tall,  muscular,  tow-headed 
man  in  charge  there,  who  was  teaching  -algebra, 
came  up  to  me,  and,  seeing  a  cloud  over  my  face, 
threw  his  arms  about  me  in  an  ardent  way.  Imme 
diately  the  home-sickness  disappeared.  The  tow- 
headed  man  has  not  so  much  hair  to-day  as  he  had 
then.  Hard  knocks  in  public  life  have  uprooted  a 
heap  of  his  hair." 

"Going  to  Bethany  College,  I  suppose,"  remarked 
the  principal  to  him.  That  was  the  college  estab 
lished  by  Alexander  Campbell,  founder  of  the  sect 
called  Disciples. 

w  1  nad  intended  to  go  there  until  recently,"  James 
answered. 

"  What  has  changed  your  purpose  ?  That  college 
is  of  our  denomination,  you  know." 

"  Yes,  I  know ;  but  I  have  been  thinking  that  it 
might  be  better  for  me  to  enlarge  my  observation 
by  going  beyond  our  sect." 

"That  may  be  ;  you  want  more  room,  do  you?  " 

"  I  know  the  Disciples  church  pretty  well.  Per 
haps  I  had  better  know  something  outside  of  it.  It 


324  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

seems  narrow  to  me  to  tie  myself  down  to  the  limits 
of  my  own  denomination.  Besides,  will  it  not  be  of 
real  value  to  me  to  connect  myself  with  a  New  Eng 
land  college?  " 

"  Perhaps  so  ;  I  agree  with  you  in  the  main  ;  too 
contracted  a  sphere  will  not  be  well  for  you.  That 
idea  is  well  worth  considering.  You  will  be  quali 
fied  to  enter  college  two  years  in  advance;  at  least, 
you  can  enter  some  colleges  two  years  in  advance. 
What  college  have  you  in  mind?" 

"  I  have  not  decided  upon  any  particular  one  yet. 
I  am  going  to  write  to  Yale  College,  Williams  Col 
lege,  and  Brown  University,  stating  the  ground  I 
have  been  over,  and  inquiring  whether  I  can  enter 
Junior,  learning  the  expense,  and  other  things, 

"That  is  a  good  plan.  Then  you  will  know  defi 
nitely  where  to  go,  and  you  can  prepare  accord- 
ingly." 

James  did  write  to  the  presidents  of  Yale  College, 
New  Haven,  Ct.,  Williams  College,  Williamstown, 
Mass.,  and  to  the  president  of  Brown  University, 
Providence,  R.  I.,  also;  and  each  one  of  the  presi 
dents  replied  to  his  inquiries.  The  substance  of  the 
answers,  together  with  his  decision,  may  be  learned 
from  a  letter  that  James  wrote  to  a  friend  one  week 
before  he  started  for  college,  as  follows : 

"  There  are  three  reasons  why  I  have  decided  not 
to  go  to  Bethany  :  First,  the  course  of  study  is  not  so 
extensive  or  thorough  as  in  eastern  colleges  ;  second, 
Bethany  leans  too  heavily  toward  slavery ;  third, 
I  am  the  son  of  Disciple  parents,  am  one  myself,  and 


STUDENT  AND   TEACHER.  325 

have  had  but  little  acquaintance  with  people  of  other 
views,  and  having  always  lived  in  the  west,  I  think 
it  will  make  me  more  liberal,  both  in  my  religious 
and  general  views  and  sentiments,  to  go  into  a  new 
circle,  where  I  shall  be  under  new  influences.  These 
considerations  led  me  to  conclude  to  go  to  some  New 
England  college.  I  therefore  wrote  to  the  presi 
dents  of  Brown  University,  Yale,  and  Williams,  set 
ting  forth  the  amount  of  study  I  had  done,  and  ask 
ing  how  long  it  would  take  me  to  finish  their  course. 

"Their  answers  are  now  before  me.  All  tell  me 
I  can  graduate  in  two  years.  They  are  all  brief, 
business  notes,  but  President  Hopkins  concludes 
with  this  sentence :  f  If  you  come  here  we  shall  be 
glad  to  do  what  we  can  for  you.'  Other  things 
being  so  nearly  equal,  this  sentence,  which  seems  to 
be  a  kind  of  friendly  grasp  of  the  hand,  has  settled 
the  question  for  me.  I  shall  start  for  Williams  next 
week." 

James  always  did  like  to  have  people  carry  their 
hearts  in  their  hands,  as  he  did ;  and  Dr.  Hopkins 
came  so  near  to  it  that  he  put  his  heart  into  his  pen, 
when  he  wrote,  and  James  accepted  his  hearty  hand 
shake. 

"How  is  it,  James,  about  funds?  You  cannot 
have  enough  money  laid  up  for  your  college  ex 
penses."  His  brother  said  this  to  him  several  weeks 
before  he  closed  his  studies  at  Hiram,  just  at  the 
time  when  James  was  revolving  the  subject  with 
some  anxiety.  True,  he  had  trusted  to  Providence 
so  much,  and  Providence  had  provided  for  him  so 


326  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

unexpectedly  at  times,  and  so  generously  always, 
that  he  was  disposed  to  trust  for  the  wherewith  to 
pay  expenses  in  college.  His  brother's  question  was 
timely.  He  always  thought  that  Providence  man 
aged  the  affair. 

"No,  I  have  not  more  than  half  enough,"  James 
replied ;  "  but  I  shall  teach  in  the  winter,  and  per 
haps  I  can  find  some  kind  of  labor  to  perform  in 
term  time.  I  always  have  been  able  to  pay  my 
way." 

"  But  if  you  enter  two  years  in  advance  I  would 
not  advise  you  to  labor  in  term-time.  You  will  have 
enough  to  do."  , 

"  How  can  I  pay  my  way  unless  I  do  work?" 

"  I  will  loan  you  money  to  meet  your  expenses?" 

"And  wait  long  enough  for  me  to  pay  it?" 

"Yes.  When  you  get  through  college  you  can 
teach,  and  it  will  not  take  you  long  to  pay  the  debt." 

"  Suppose  I  should  die ;  where  will  you  get  your 
pay?" 

"That  is  my  risk." 

"  It  ought  not  to  be  your  risk.  It  is  not  right  that 
you  should  lose  the  money  on  my  account." 

"  It  is  if  I  consent  to  it." 

"It  occurs  to  me,"  continued  James,  after  a  pause, 
"  that  I  can  arrange  it  in  this  way.  You  can  loan 
me  the  money,  and  I  will  get  my  life  insured  for  five 
hundred  dollars.  This  will  protect  you  in  case  of 
my  death." 

"I  will  agree  to  that,  if  it  suits  you  any  better." 

*  Well,    it   does.     I    shall   be  satisfied   with   that 


STUDENT  AND   TEACHER.  327 

method  ;  and  I  shall  be  relieved  of  some  anxiety.  I 
want  to  make  my  two  years  in  college  the  most  prof 
itable  of  any  two  years  of  my  course  of  study." 

James  took  out  an  insurance  upon  his  life,  and 
when  he  carried  it  to  his  brother  he  remarked : 

"  If  I  live  I  shall  pay  you,  and  if  I  die  you  will  suf 
fer  no  loss."" 

What  James  accomplished  during  the  three  years 
he  was  at  Hiram  Institute,  may  be  briefly  stated, 
thus :  The  usual  preparatory  studies,  requiring  four 
years,  together  with  the  studies  of  the  first  two  years 
in  college,  —  the  studies  of  six  years  in  all,  —  he  mas 
tered  in  three  years.  At  the  same  time  he  paid  his 
own  bills  by  janitor  and  carpenter  work,  and  teach 
ing,  and,  in  addition,  laid  up  a  small  amount  for  col 
lege  expenses. 


XXI. 
IN  COLLEGE. 

|T  the  close  of  the  summer  term  at  Wil 
liams  College  candidates  for  admission, 
who  presented  themselves,  were  exam 
ined.  James  presented  himself  to  Dr. 
Hopkins  very  different,  in  his  personal  appear 
ance,  from  the  well-worded  and  polished  letter  that 
he  wrote  to  him.  One  describes  him  "As  a  tall, 
awkward  youth,  with  a  great  shock  of  light  hair, 
rising  nearly  erect  from  a  broad,  high  forehead, 
and  an  open,  kindly,  and  thoughtful  face,  which 
showed  no  traces  of  his  long  study  with  poverty  and 
privation."  His  dress  was  thoroughly  western,  and 
very  poor  at  that.  It  was  evident  to  Dr.  Hopkins 
that  the  young  stranger  before  him  did  not  spend 
much  time  at  his  toilet ;  that  he  cared  more  for  an 
education  than  he  did  for  dress.  Of  course  Dr. 
Hopkins  did  not  recognize  him. 

"  My  name  is  Garfield,  from  Ohio,"  said  James. 
That  was  enough.  Dr.  Hopkins  recalled  the  capi 
tal  letter  which  the  young  man  wrote.  His  heart 

328 


IN  COLLEGE.  339 


was  in  his  hand  at  once,  and  he  repeated  the  cordial 
hand-shake  that  James  felt  when  he  read  in  the  doc 
tor's  letter,  "  If  you  come  here,  we  shall  be  glad  to 
do  what  we  can  for  you."  James  felt  at  home  at 
once.  It  was  such  a  kind,  fatherly  greeting,  that 
he  felt  almost  as  if  he  had  arrived  home.  He  never 
had  a  natural  father  whom  he  could  remember,  but 
now  he  had  found  an  intellectual  father,  sure,  and 
he  was  never  happier  in  his  life.  Yet  a  reverential 
awe  possessed  his  soul  as  he  stood  before  the  presi 
dent  of  the  college,  whose  massive  head  and  over 
hanging  brow  denoted  a  giant  in  intellect.  James 
was  perfectly  satisfied  that  he  had  come  to  the  right 
place  now ;  he  had  no  wish  to  be  elsewhere.  He 
had  read  Dr.  Hopkins'  Lectures  on  the  "  Evidences 
of  Christianity,"  and  now  the  author  impressed  him 
just  as  the  book  did  when  he  read  it.  The  impres 
sion  of  greatness  was  uppermost. 

James  passed  the  examination  without  any  diffi 
culty,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Junior  class.  Indeed, 
his  examination  was  regarded  as  superior.  He  was 
qualified  to  stand  abreast  with  the  Juniors,  who  had 
spent  Freshman  and  Sophomore  years  in  the  col 
leges.  And  this  fact  illustrates  the  principle  of  thor 
oughness^  for  which  we  have  said  James  was  distin 
guished.  In  a  great  measure  he  had  been  his  own 
teacher  in  the  advanced  studies  that  he  must  master 
in  order  to  enter  the  Junior  class ;  yet  he  was  thor 
oughly  prepared. 

"You  can  have  access  to  the  college  library  \{ 
you  remain  here  during  the  summer  vacation,"  said 


330  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Dr.  Hopkins  to  him.  "If  you  enjoy  reading,  you 
will  have  a  good  opportunity  to  indulge  your  taste 
for  it." 

"  I  shall  remain  here  during  vacation,  and  shall 
be  thankful  for  the  privilege  of  using  the  library," 
answered  James.  "  I  have  not  had  the  time  to  read 
what  I  desire,  hitherto,  as  I  have  had  to  labor  and 
teach,  to  pay  my  bills.  It  will  be  a  treat  for  me  to 
spend  a  few  weeks  in  reading,  with  nothing  else 
to  do." 

Dr.  Hopkins  gave  him  excellent  advice,  and  words 
of  encouragement,  not  only  for  vacation,  but  for 
term  time,  as  well;  and  James  found  himself  revel 
ing  among  books,  within  a  few  days.  He  had 
never  seen  a  library  of  such  dimensions  as  that  into 
which  he  was  now  introduced,  and  his  voracious 
mental  appetite  could  now  partake  of  a  "  square 
meal."  One  of  the  authors  whom  he  desired  to 
know  was  Shakespeare.  He  had  read  only  such 
extracts  from  his  writings  as  he  had  met  with  in 
other  volumes.  Therefore  he  took  up  a  volume 
containing  Shakespeare's  entire  works  with  peculiar 
satisfaction.  He  read  and  studied  it,  studied  and 
read  it,  committing  portions  of  it  to  memory,  and 
fairly  made  the  contents  of  the  book  his  own.  His 
great  familiarity  with  the  works  of  Shakespeare 
dates  from  that  period.  Certain  English  poets,  also, 
he  read  and  studied,  for  the  first  time ;  and  he  com 
mitted  a  number  of  poems  to  memory,  which  he  can 
repeat  to-day.  Works  of  fiction  he  rejected  from 
principle.  When  he  joined  the  Disciples'  church 


IN  COLLEGE. 


33* 


he  resolved  to  read  no  novels.  His  decision  was  in 
accordance  with  the  practice  of  that  church.  On 
the  whole,  that  vacation  in  the  college  library  was  a 
very  profitable  one  to  James.  It  was  just  what  he 
needed  after  so  many  years  of  hard  study  in  tho 
sciences  and  classics. 

It  was  well  for  him,  too,  to  be  relieved  from  the 
strain  of  study  and  pecuniary  support,  that  had  taxed 
him  heavily  from  the  outset.  He  had  no  carpenter's 
job  on  hand,  or  class  to  teach;  for  his  support.  For 
exercise,  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of  the  scenery 
lured  him  into  the  fields  and  over  the  mountains. 
The  wild,  mountainous  country  around  presented  a 
striking  contrast  with  the  level,  monotonous  land 
scape  of  the  Western  Reserve.  He  enjoyed  explo 
rations  of  the  region  ;  climbing  Greylock  to  its  sum 
mit  that  he  might  take  in  the  view,  plunging  into 
forests,  and  ranging  fields,  until  the  country  for  miles 
around  was  almost  as  familiar  to  him  as  Orange 
township,  Ohio.  By  the  time  the  college  term 
opened  he  was  as  familiar  with  the  locality  as  any 
of  the  students. 

"  Hill,  what  do  you  think  of  that  westerner?"  said 
one  of  the  juniors  to  his  classmate,  Hill,  a  few  days 
after  the  term  began.     "  Got  acquainted  with  him?  " 
"  Not  exactly  ;  haven't  had  time  yet.     Have  you  ?  * 
"A  little  acquainted;   not  much,  though." 
"He  is  not  a  slave  to  &tt fashions ^  I  conclude;" 
alluding  to  his  rather  uncouth  dress. 

"No;  he  gives  tailors  a  wide  berth,  in  my  judg 
ment  :  but  he  is  none  the  worse  for  that.  Put  him 


332  LOG  CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

into  a  tasty  garb,  and  he  would  be  a  splendid  look 
ing  fellow." 

"'  That's  so  :  but  neither  his  character  nor  scholar 
ship  would  be  improved  by  the  change.  If  dress 
would  improve  these,  some  of  our  fellows  would 
patronize  tailors  more  than  butchers,  a  great  deal." 

"  I  think  I  shall  like  him,  judging  from  a  slight 
acquaintance.  A  little  western  in  his  speech." 

'Western  provincialisms?" 

"Yes ;  though  not  bad.  Evidently  he  is  one  of 
the  fellows  who  will  go  through  thick  and  thin  to 
acquire  an  education.  There  must  be  considerable 
to  him,  or  he  never  could  enter  a  New  England  col 
lege  two  years  in  advance,  especially  if  he  prepared 
at  the  west." 

"  Do  you  know  where,  in  the  west,  he  fitted  for 
college?" 

"At  a  little  place  on  the  Western  Reserve  some 
where  ;  an  academy  that  belongs  to  a  sect  called 
Disciples.  So  one  of  the  boys  says." 

"  Disciples !  I  never  heard  of  that  sect  before, 
except  the  one  in  New  Testament  times.  A  disciple 
will  work  in  well  here  ;  "  trying  to  be  humorous. 

This  conversation  shows  quite  well  the  circum 
stances  in  which  James  was  brought  into  contact 
with  the  students.  That  they  should  scrutinize  his 
apparel  and  appearance  is  not  strange.  James  ex 
pected  that,  and  the  thought  caused  him  some  em 
barrassment.  He  knew  very  well  that  his  dress 
must  appear  shabby  to  young  men  who  consulted 
tailors,  and  that  his  speech  was  marred  by  provin- 


7JV    COLLEGE.  333 


cialisms  that  mun  sound  queerly  to  them.  So  he 
very  naturally  deaded  the  introduction  to  college 
life.  Yet  he  proved  as  much  of  a  philosopher  here 
as  elsewhere,  and  made  the  best  of  the  situation. 
He  was  happily  disappointed  in  his  intercourse  with 
students.  He  found  no  pride  or  caste  among  them. 
They  treated  him  kindly,  and  gave  him  a  hearty 
welcome  to  their  companionship.  Within  a  few 
vveeks  he  ranked  among  the  "  best  fellows  "  of  the 
college.  The  college  boys  soon  found  that  the 
r  Great  West  "  had  turned  out  a  great  scholar  ;  that 
the  student  who  had  the  least  to  do  with  tailors  was 
a  rare  fellow  ;  and  they  treated  him  accordingly. 
James  never  had  any  reason  to  complain  of  his 
treatment  by  the  faculty  and  students  of  Williams 
College. 

"  He  is  one  of  the  most  accurate  scholars  I  ever 
knew,"  said  Hill  to  Leavitt,  some  weeks  after  James 
entered  college  ;  "  he  never  misses  anything,  and  he 
never  fails  to  answer  a  question." 

"That  is  because  he  knows  it  all, "replied  Leavitt. 
"  He  gave  me  some  account  of  his  methods  of  study 
in  preparing  for  college.  He  dfd  it  all  himself, 
pretty  much.  He  sticks  to  anything  until  he  under 
stands  it  fully ;  that  gives  him  the  advantage  now. 
He  is  one  of  the  best-read  students  in  college,  and 
all  that  he  ever  read  is  at  his  tongue's  end." 

*  He  showed  that  in  the  debate  last  Saturday," 
continued  Hill.  "  His  ability  as  a  debater  is  supe 
rior  ;  nobody  in  this  college  can  compete  with  him." 


334  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Reference  was  here  made  to  a  debate  in  the  Philo- 
logian  society  of  the  college. 

"  A  born  speaker,  I  think.  It  is  just  as  easy  for 
him  to  speak  as  it  is  to  recite ;  and  that  is  easy 
enough." 

"  I  predict,"  continued  Hill,  "that  he  will  stand  at 
the  head  of  our  class,  notwithstanding  he  entered 
two  years  in  advance." 

"  It  looks  so  now.  '  All  signs  fail  in  a  dry  time,' 
it  is  said,  but  the  signs  certainly  point  that  way." 

That  these  young  men  were  not  partial,  or  mis 
taken,  in  their  estimate  of  James,  is  evident  from  the 
following  communication,  penned  by  a  classmate 
recently,  after  the  lapse  of  twenty-five  years : 

"  In  a  class  of  forty  or  more  he  immediately  took 
a  stand  above  all  others  for  accurate  scholarship  in 
every  branch,  but  particularly  distinguishing  himself 
as  a  writer,  reasoner,  and  debater.  He  was  remark 
able  for  going  to  the  bottom  of  every  subject  which 
came  before  him,  and  seeing  and  presenting  it  in 
entirely  a  new  light.  His  essays  written  at  that 
time,  not  of  the  commonplace  character  too  common 
in  college  compositions,  can  even  now  be  read  with 
pleasure  and  admiration.  While  an  indefatigable 
worker,  he  was  by  no  means  a  bookworm  or  recluse, 
but  one  of  the  most  companionable  of  men,  highly 
gifted,  and  entertaining  in  conversation,  ready  to 
enjoy  and  give  a  joke,  and  having  a  special  faculty 
for  drawing  out  the  knowledge  of  those  with  whom 
he  conversed,  thus  enriching  his  own  stock  of  infor 
mation  from  the  acquirements  of  others.  Even  then 


IN  COLLEGE.  335 


he  showed  that  magnetic  power,  which  he  now  ex 
hibits  in  a  remarkable  degree  in  public  life,  of  sur 
rounding  himself  with  men  of  various  talents,  and 
of  employing  each  to  the  best  advantage  in  his 
sphere.  When  questions  for  discussion  arose  in  the 
college  societies,  Garfield  would  give  each  of  his 
allies  a  point  to  investigate ;  books  and  documents 
from  all  the  libraries  would  be  overhauled ;  and  the 
mass  of  facts  thus  obtained  being  brought  together, 
Garfield  would  analyze  the  whole,  assign  each  of 
the  associates  his  part,  and  they  would  go  into  the 
battle  to  conquer.  He  was  always  in  earnest,  and 
persistent  in  carrying  his  point,  often  against  appar 
ently  insurmountable  obstacles  ;  and  in  college  elec 
tion  contests  (which  are  often  more  intense  than 
national  elections)  he  was  always  successful." 

James  had  taxed  himself  so  long  to  his  utmost 
capacity  by  advanced  and  extra  studies,  crowding 
six  years'  labor  into  three,  that  it  was  easy  for  him 
now  to  lead  his  class.  He  did  add  German  to  the 
regular  studies  of  the  college,  and  he  became  so 
proficient  in  it  within  one  year,  that  he  could  con 
verse  considerably  in  the  language.  But  all  this 
was  little  labor  in  comparison  with  his  work  at  Hi 
ram.  He  found  much  time  to  read,  and  to  engage 
in  the  sports  of  the  Campus.  The  latter  he  enjoyed 
with  a  keen  relish ;  no  one  entered  into  them  more 
heartily  than  he  did.  His  college  mates  now  recall 
with  what  enthusiasm  he  participated  in  their  games. 
This  was  indispensable  for  his  health  now,  as  he 
had  no  labor  with  plane  or  hammer  to  perform. 


336  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

The  "  Williams  Quarterly  "  was  a  magazine  sup 
ported  by  the  college.  James  took  great  interest  in 
it,  and  his  compositions  frequently  adorned  its  pages, 
both  prose  and  poetry.  The  following  was  from  his 
pen  in  1854  : 

"  AUTUMN. 

"  Old  Autumn,  thou  art  here  !     Upon  the  earth 
And  in  the  heavens  the  signs  of  death  are  hung; 
For  o'er  the  earth's  brown  breast  stalks  pale  decay, 
And  'mong  the  lowering  clouds  the  wild  winds  wail, 
And  sighing  sadly,  shout  the  solemn  dirge 
O'er  Summer's  fairest  flowers,  all  faded  now. 
The  Winter  God,  descending  from  the  skies, 
Has  reached  the  mountain  tops,  and  decked  their  brows 
With  glittering  frosty  crowns,  and  breathed  his  breath 
Among  the  trumpet  pines,  that  herald  forth 
His  coming. 

"  Before  the  driving  blast 

The  mountain  oak  bows  down  his  hoary  head, 
And  flings  his  withered  locks  to  the  rough  gales 
That  fiercely  roar  among  his  branches  bare, 
Uplifted  to  the  dark,  unpitying  heavens. 
The  skies  have  put  their  mourning  garments  on, 
And  hung  their  funeral  drapery  on  the  clouds. 
Dead  Nature  soon  will  wear  her  shroud  of  snow, 
And  lie  entombed  in  Winter's  icy  grave  I 

"  Thus  passes  life.     As  heavy  age  comes  on 
The  joys  of  youth  —  bright  beauties  of  the  Spring  — 
Grow  dim  and  faded,  and  the  long,  dark  night 
Of  death's  chill  winter  comes.     But  as  the  Spring 


IN  COLLEGE.  33^ 


Rebuilds  the  ruined  wrecks  of  Winter's  waste, 
Arid  cheers  the  gloomy  earth  with  joyous  light, 
So  o'er  the  tomb  the  star  of  hope  shall  rise, 
And  usher  in  an  ever-during  day." 

w  Garfield,  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  yourself 
this  vacation?"  inquired  Bolter,  just  as  the  fall  term 
was  closing. 

"  I  am  considering  that  question  now.  How 
should  I  make  it  teaching  penmanship,  do  you 
think?" 

"  You  would  do  well  at  it ;  and  the  vacation  is 
long  enough  for  you  to  teach  about  ten  lessons." 

James  was  a  good  penman,  for  that  day,  and  he 
had  taken  charge  of  a  writing-class  in  school,  for 
a  time.  The  style  of  his  penmanship  would  not  be 
regarded  with  favor  now  by  teachers  in  that  depart 
ment;  nevertheless  it  was  a  broad,  clear,  business 
style,  that  country  people,  at  least,  were  then  pleased 
with. 

w  Think  I  could  readily  get  a  class  ? "  continued 
James. 

"  No  doubt  of  it.  Strike  right  out  into  the  country 
almost  anywhere,  and  you  will  find  the  way  open." 

"I  am  quite  inclined  to  take  a  trip  into  New 
Hampshire  to  see  what  I  can  do.  I  have  some  dis 
tant  relatives  there  :  my  mother  was  born  there." 

"  Well,  if  you  go  where  your  mother  was  born 
you  will  not  be  likely  to  get  into  bad  company, 
though  there  is  enough  of  it  in  New  Hampshire." 

"Acquainted  there?" 

22 


338  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  As  much  as  I  want  to  be.  There  is  too  much 
of  the  pro-slavery  democracy  there  for  me  ;  but  they 
need  to  improve  their  penmanship  awfully,  Garfield. 
It  won't  interfere  with  your  business." 

The  conversation  proceeded  in  a  kind  of  semi- 
jovial  way  until  the  bell  rang  for  recitation.  The 
upshot  was  that  James  opened  a  writing-school  in 
Pownal,Vermont,  instead  of  in  New  Hampshire.  He 
met  with  some  party  who  directed  his  steps  to  this 
small  town,  where  he  taught  a  large  class  in  pen 
manship,  in  the  village  school-house.  It  proved  a 
profitable  venture  to  him,  both  financially  and  so 
cially.  He  added  quite  a  little  sum  to  his  private 
treasury,  besides  making  many  warm  friends  and 
enlarging  the  sphere  of  his  observation  and  experi 
ence. 

As  he  spent  the  next  winter  vacation  in  New 
York  state,  we  may  relate  the  circumstances  here. 
He  went  to  Poestenkill,  a  country  village  about  six 
miles  from  Troy,  N.  Y.,  where  there  was  a  Disci 
ples'  church,  over  which  a  preacher  by  the  name  of 
Streeter  was  settled.  Here  he  opened  a  school  of 
penmanship,  thereby  earning  a  few  dollars,  in  addi 
tion  to  paying  his  expenses.  His  efforts  in  the  re 
ligious  conference  meeting  were  so  marked  that  the 
pastor  invited  him  to  occupy  his  pulpit  on  the  Sab 
bath  ;  and  the  invitation  was  accepted.  Having 
preached  once,  the  people  demanded  that  he  should 
preach  again ;  and  he  did.  It  was  the  common 
opinion  that  "  he  would  become  the  most  renowned 


IN  COLLEGE. 


339 


preacher  in  the  Disciple's  church,"  no  one  doubting 
that  he  was  expecting  to  fill  the  sacred  office. 

James  became  acquainted  with  several  of  the 
teachers  and  school  committee  at  Troy,  and  when 
he  was  there  one  day,  Rev.  Mr.  Brooks,  one  of  the 
committee,  surprised  him  by  saying* 

"We  have  a  vacancy  in  the  high-school,  and  I 
would  like  to  have  you  take  the  situation.  It  is  an 
easy  place,  and  a  good  salary  of  twelve  hundred 
dollars." 

:t  You  want  me  to  begin  now,  I  suppose?  " 

rt  Yes  j  next  week  the  term  begins." 

w  I  should  be  obliged  to  relinquish  the  idea  of 
graduating  at  Williams." 

".That  would  be  necessary,  of  course ;  and  per 
haps  that  may  be  best  for  you." 

"No;  it  seems  best  for  me  to  graduate,  at  any 
rate;  that  has  been  my  strong  desire  for  severs! 
years,  and  to  abandon  the  purpose  now,  when  I  am 
just  on  the  eve  of  realizing  my  hopes,  would  be  very 
unwise." 

"  You  understand  your  own  business  best,"  con 
tinued  Mr.  Brooks  ;  "  but  we  should  be  very  glad  to 
employ  you,  and  only  wish  that  you  could  see  it  for 
your  interest  to  accept  our  proposition." 

"  There  is  another  difficulty  in  the  way,"  James 
replied.  "  I  feel  under  some  obligations  to  Hiram 
Institute,  where  I  prepared  for  college.  There  was 
no  bargain  with  me,  and  yet  the  trustees  expect  me 
to  return,  and  take  a  position  as  tear  her.  That  is  a 


340  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

young  institution,  struggling  to  live,  and  I  have  a 
desire  to  give  my  small  influence  to  it.** 

"  You  need  not  decide  to-day  ;  think  of  it  longer ; 
you  may  view  the  matter  differently  after  a  little 
thought,"  Mr.  Brooks  urged. 

?  No  ;  I  may  just  as  well  decide  now.  Your  offer 
is  a  tempting  one ;  I  could  soon  pay  my  debts  on 
that  salary.  I  cannot  expect  any  such  salary  at 
Hiram,  and  I  thank  you  with  all  my  heart  for  the 
offer.  But  my  ambition  has  been  to  win  an  honor 
able  diploma  at  an  Eastern  college,  and  then  devote 
my  energies  to  the  institute  that  has  done  ^o  much 
for  me.  I  must  decline  your  alluring  offer." 

James  arrived  at  this  decision  quickly,  because 
accepting  the  offer  would  interfere  with  the  accom 
plishment  of  the  great  purpose  of  his  life.  He  had 
no  difficulty,  at  any  time,  in  rejecting  any  proposi 
tion  that  came  between  him  and  a  collegiate  educa 
tion. 

His  refusal  of  the  tempting  offer  was  the  more 
remarkable  because  he  was  in  straightened  circum 
stances  at  the  time.  His  brother,  who  had  promised 
to  loan  him  money,  had  become  embarrassed,  so 
that  further  aid  from  that  quarter  was  out  of  the 
question.  He  needed  a  new  suit  of  clothes  very 
much,  but  he  had  not  the  money  to  purchase  them. 
One  of  his  friends  in  Poestenkill,  knowing  this,  went 
to  a  tailor  of  his  acquaintance  in  Troy,  Mr.  P.  S. 
Haskell,  and  said : 

"We  have  a  young  man  in  our  village,  a  rare  fel 
low,  who  is  poor,  but  honest,  and  he  wants  a  suit 


IN  COLLEGE.  34I 


of  clothes.  He  is  struggling  to  go  through  Williams 
College,  and  finds  it  hard  sleddin'.  Can  you  do 
anything  for  him?" 

"  Yes ;  I  am  willing  to  help  such  a  young  man  to 
a  suit  of  clothes.  I  will  let  him  have  a  suit  of 
clothes  on  credit,"  the  tailor  replied,  promptly. 

"  You  will  get  every  cent  of  your  pay  in  time,  I'm 
sure  of  that.  The  young  man  preaches  some  now, 
and  he  preaches  grandly." 

"What  is  his  name?" 

"James  A.  Garfield.     His  home  is  in  Ohio." 

"Well,  send  him  along." 

On  the  following  day  James  called  upon  the  tailor, 
frankly  told  him  his  circumstances,  and  promised  to 
pay  him  for  the  clothes  as  early  as  possible.  He 
could  not  fix  the  date. 

"Very  well,"  said  Mr.  Haskell,  who  was  thor 
oughly  pleased  with  James*  appearance.  "Take 
your  own  time  ;  don't  worry  yourself  about  the  debt. 
Go  on  with  your  education ;  and  when  you  have 
some  money  that  you  have  no  other  use  for,  pay 
me."  James  got  his  suit  of  clothes,  returned  to  col 
lege,  and  paid  the  debt  in  due  time,  to  the  entire 
satisfaction  of  the  tailor. 

After  returning  to  college,  James  looked  about  for 
pecuniary  relief.  Debts  on  his  second  year  had  al 
ready  accumulated,  and  now  it  was  certain  that  he 
would  receive  no  loans  to  meet  them  from  his  brother. 
He  thought  of  the  cordial  and  friendly  doctor  who 
examined  him  about  six  years  before,  and  encour 
aged  him  to  acquire  an  education,  —  Dr.  J.  P.  Rob- 


342  LOG-CABIN    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

ison,  now  of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  He  sat  down  and 
wrote  to  the  jolly  doctor,  stating  his  pressing  wants 
and  future  purposes,  telling  him  of  his  life  insurance, 
and  of  his  expected  connection  with  Hiram  Institute 
as  teacher,  when  he  would  be  able  to  liquidate  the 
debt.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  Dr.  Robison  cheer 
fully  loaned  him  the  money. 

At  the  close  of  his  first  collegiate  year  James  vis 
ited  his  mother  in  Ohio.  She  was  then  living  with 
her  daughter,  who  was  married  and  settled  in  Solon. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  rehearse  the  details  of  this 
visit,  the  reader  can  imagine  the  mutual  joy  ii 
occasioned  much  better  than  we  can  describe  it. 
Imagination  cannot  exaggerate  the  satisfaction  his 
mother  found  in  meeting  her  son  again,  so  near  the 
ministry,  where  she  had  come  to  think  his  field  of 
usefulness  would  be  found. 

In  college  James'  anti-slavery  sentiments  grew 
stronger,  if  possible.  Charles  Sumner  was  in  con 
gress,  dealing  heavy  blows  against  slavery,  assailing 
the  fugitive-slave  bill  with  great  power  and  effect, 
claiming  that  "freedom  is  national,  and  slavery  sec 
tional,"  denouncing  the  "crime  against  Kansas/* 
and  losing  no  opportunity  to  expose  the  guilt  and 
horrors  of  southern  bondage.  Outside  of  congress 
he  made  speeches,  urging  that  the  whig  party  should 
attack  and  overthrow  American  slavery.  James 
admired  the  fearless,  grand  public  career  of  Sumner, 
and  also  despised  the  criminal  support  the  demo 
cratic  party  gave  to  slavery,  and  the  truckling, 
timid,  compromising  course  of  the  leaders  of  the 


IN  COLLEGE.  343 


whig  party.  Then,  in  the  fall  of  1855,  John  Z. 
Goodrich,  who  was  a  member  of  congress  from 
western  Massachusetts,  delivered  a  political  address 
in  Williamstown  upon  the  history  of  the  Kansas- 
Nebraska  struggle,  and  the  efforts  of  the  handful  of 
republicans  then  in  congress  to  defeat  the  Missouri 
compromise.  James  was  profoundly  impressed  by 
the  facts  and  logic  of  that  speech,  and  he  said  to  a 
classmate,  on  leaving  the  hall, 

"  This  subject  is  new  to  me ;  I  am  going  to  know 
all  about  it." 

He  sent  for  documents,  studied  them  thoroughly, 
and  was  fully  prepared  to  join  the  new  republican 
party,  and  the  nomination  of  John  C.  Fremont  for 
president  of  the  United  States.  The  students  called 
a  meeting  in  support  of  Fremont,  and  James  was 
invited  to  address  them.  The  scope  and  power  of 
his  speech,  packed  with  facts  and  history,  showed 
that  he  had  canvassed  the  subject  with  his  accus 
tomed  ability ;  and  even  his  classmates,  who  knew 
him  so  well,  were  surprised.  *"*. 

"  The  chantry  will  hear  from  him  yet,  and  slavery 
will  get  some  hard  knocks  from  him,"  remarked  a 
classmate. 

Just  afterwards  the  country  was  thrown  into  the 
greatest  excitement  by  the  cowardly  attack  of  Pres 
ton  Brooks,  of  South  Carolina,  upon  Charles  Sum- 
ner.  Enraged  by  his  attacks  upon  slavery,  and 
urged  forward,  no  doubt,  by  southern  ruffians, 
Brooks  attacked  him  with  a  heavy  cane,  while  Sum- 
ner  was  writing  at  his  desk  in  the  United  States 


344  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

senate.  Brooks  intended  to  kill  him  on  the  spot, 
and  his  villainous  purpose  was  nearly  accomplished. 

On  receipt  of  the  news  at  Williams  College  the 
students  called  an  indignation  meeting,  at  which 
James,  boiling  over  with  indignant  remonstrance 
against  such  an  outrage,  delivered  the  most  telling 
and  powerful  speech  that  had  fallen  from  his  lips  up 
to  that  time.  His  fellow-students  listened  with  won 
der  and  admiration.  They  were  so  completely 
charmed  by  his  fervor  and  eloquence  that  they  sat 
in  breathless  attention  until  he  closed,  when  their 
loud  applause  rang  through  the  building,  repeated 
again  and  again  in  the  wildest  enthusiasm. 

"  The  uncompromising  foe  to  slavery  !  "  exclaimed 
one  of  his  admirers. 

"  Old  Williams  will  be  prouder  of  her  student 
than  she  is  to-day,  even,"  remarked  another. 

And  many  were  the  words  of  surprise  and  gratifi 
cation  expressed,  and  many  the  prophecies  con 
cerning  the  future  renown  of  young  Garfield. 

We  said  that  James  rejected  fiction  from  his  read 
ing  on  principle.  When  about  half  through  his 
college  course  he  found  that  his  mind  was  suffering 
from  excess  of  solid  food.  Mental  dyspepsia  was 
the  consequence.  His  mind  was  not  assimilating 
what  he  read,  and  was  losing  its  power  of  applica 
tion.  He  was  advised  to  read  fiction  moderately. 
"Romance  is  as'valuable  a  part  of  intellectual  food 
as  salad  of  a  dinner.  In  its  place,  its  discipline  to 
the  mind  is  equal  to  that  of  science  in  its  place." 
He  finally  accepted  the  theory,  read  one  volume  of 


IN  COLLEGE.  34$ 


fiction  each  month,  and  soon  found  his  mind  return 
ing  to  its  former  elasticity.  Some  of  the  works  of 
Walter  Scott,  Cooper,  Dickens,  and  Thackeray,  not 
to  mention  others,  became  the  cure  of  his  mental 
malady.  His  method  of  taking  notes  in  reading 
was  systematically  continued  in  college.  Historical 
references,  mythological  allusions,  technical  terms, 
and  other  things,  not  well  understood  at  the  time, 
were  rioted,  and  afterwards  looked  up  in  the  library, 
so  that  nothing  should  remain  doubtful  or  obscure 
in  his  mind.  "The  ground  his  mind  traversed  he 
carefully  cleared  and  plowed  before  leaving  it  for 
fresh  fields." 

James  graduated  in  1856,  bearing  off  the  honors 
of  his  class.  Dr.  Hopkins  had  established  the 
w  metaphysical  oration "  as  the  highest  honor  at 
Commencement,  and  James  won  it,  by  the  universal 
consent  of  the  faculty  and  students.  In  the  per 
formance  of  his  part  at  Commencement,  he  fully 
sustained  his  well-earned  reputation  for  scholarship 
and  eloquence.  Both  teachers  and  classmates  fully 
expected,  when  he  left  college,  that  his  name  would 
appear  conspicuously  in  the  future  history  of  his 
country. 

JJr.  Hopkins  wrote  of  him,  eight  years  after 
James  graduated  : 

"The  course  of  General  Garfield  has  been  one 
which  the  young  men  of  the  country  may  well 
emulate.  ...  A  rise  so  rapid  in  both  civil  and 
military  life  is,  perhaps,  without  example  in  the 
Country.  ?  .  .  Obtaining  his  education  almost 


346  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

wholly  by  his  own  exertions,  and  having  reached 
the  age  when  he  could  fully  appreciate  the  highest 
studies,  General  Garfield  gave  himself  to  study  with 
a  zest  and  delight  wholly  unknown  to  those  who 
find  in  it  a  routine.  A  religious  man,  and  a  man 
of  principle,  he  pursued,  of  his  own  accord,  the 
ends  proposed  by  the  institution.  He  was  prompt, 
frank,  manly,  social,  in  his  tendencies ;  combining 
active  exercise  with  habits  of  study,  and  thus  did 
for  himself  what  it  is  the  object  of  a  college  to  en 
able  every  young  man  to  do,  —  he  made  himself  a 
MAN.  There  never  was  a  time  when  we  more 
needed  those  who  would  follow  his  example." 

Mr.  Chadbourne,  who  is  now  president  of  Wil 
liams  College,  and  who  was  professor  when  James 
was  a  student,  writes  : 

"  He  graduated  in  1856,  soon  after  I  began  my 
work  here  as  professor.  The  students  who  came 
under  my  instruction  then  made  a  much  stronger 
impression  upon  me  than  those  of  a  later  day,  since 
my  attention  has  been  called  to  other  interests  than 
those  of  the  lecture-room.  But  Garfield,  as  a  stu 
dent,  was  one  who  would  at  any  time  impress  him 
self  upon  the  memory  of  his  instructors,  by  his  man 
liness  and  excellence  of  character.  He  was  one 
whom  his  teachers  would  never  suspect  as  guilty  of 
a  dishonest  or  mean  act,  and  one  whom  a  dishonest 
or  mean  man  would  not  approach.  College  life  is, 
in  some  respects,  a  severe  test  of  character.  False 
notions  of  honor  often  prevail  among  students,  so 
that,  under  sanction  of  "college  custom,"  things  are 


IN  COLLEGE.  347 


sometimes  done  by  young  men  which  they  would 
scorn  to  do  in  other  places.  There  was  a  manliness 
and  honesty  about  Garfield  that  gave  him  power  to 
see  and  do  what  was  for  his  own  good,  and  the  honor 
of  the  college.  His  life  as  a  student  was  pure  and 
noble.  His  moral  and  religious  character,  and 
marked  intellectual  ability,  gave  great  promise  of 
success  in  the  world.  His  course  since  he  entered 
active  life  has  seemed  to  move  on  in  the  same  line 
in  which  he  moved  here.  He  has  been  distingushed 
for  hard  work,  clear  insight  into  great  questions 
of  public  interest,  strong  convictions,  and  manly 
courage.  I  know  of  no  better  example  among  our 
public  men  of  success  fairly  won." 


XXII. 
RETURN  TO   HIRAM. 

|HE  trustees  of  Hiram  Institute  elected  Gar- 
field  K  Teacher  of  Ancient  Languages  and 
Literature"  before  his  return  to  the  school. 
His  welcome  back  was  a  hearty  one.     His 
acceptance  of  the  position  was  equally  hearty. 

His  position  was  now  a  high  and  honorable  one, 
although  he  was  but  nine  years  removed  from  the 
tow-path  of  the  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  Canal.  Into 
that  nine  years  was  crowded  labors,  struggles,  and 
triumphs,  the  like  of  which  we  can  scarcely  find  in 
the  annals  of  human  effort. 

"  I  have  attained  to  the  height  of  my  ambition,"  he 
said  to  a  friend.  "  I  have  my  diploma  from  an 
eastern  college,  and  my  position  here  as  instructor ; 
and  now  I  shall  devote  all  my  energies  to  this  Insti 
tute." 

He  had  no  intention  of  entering  the  ministry  perma 
nently,  as  many  supposed,  nor  had  he  aspirations  for 
a  political  career.  He  was  content  to  be  a  teacher 
at  Hiram,  ambitious  to  make  the  school  the  pet  of 
the  Western  Reserve,  if  possible.  He  might  have 


RETURN  TO  HIRAM. 


349 


secured  positions  where  double  the  salary  was  paid ; 
but  he  was  satisfied  to  teach  at  Hiram  for  eight  hun 
dred  dollars  a  year.  No  board  of  trustees  could 
lure  him  away  by  the  offer  of  a  princely  income. 
His  heart  was  at  Hiram,  and  he  meant  that  his  best 
efforts  should  be  there. 

He  brought  from  Williams  College  a  profound 
reverence  for  Dr.  Hopkins,  the  president,  as  an  in 
structor  and  scholar  of  great  ability.  He  profited 
by  the  lessons  he  learned  at  his  feet,  and  augment 
ed  the  value  of  his  own  labors  by  imitating  him  as 
far  as  practicable.  He  was  not  long  in  convincing 
the  board  that,  successful  as  he  was  in  teaching  be 
fore  entering  Williams  College,  his  ability  in  that 
sphere  was  largely  increased  by  his  collegiate 
course.  At  the  end  of  the  first  year  he  was 
placed  at  the  head  of  the  institution,  with  the  title, 
"  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Instructors,"  and,  one 
year  later  was  made  PRINCIPAL.  In  eleven  years 
from  the  time  he  left  the  tow-path  of  the  canal  he 
was  installed  Principal  of  the  "  Eclectic  Institute  of 
the  Western  Reserve,"  where  three  hundred  young 
ladies  and  gentlemen  were  pursuing  a  course  of 
education. 

One  of  his  successful  points,  as  instructor,  was  to 
discover  young  men  of  superior  talents  and  persuade 
them  to  acquire  a  liberal  education.  Sometimes 
their  fathers  would  put  a  veto  upon  such  a  project, 
when  he  was  forced  to  try  his  logic  and  persuasive 
powers  upon  them.  He  called  this  "capturing 
boys,"  and  he  enjoyed  it  hugely.  There  are  many 


350  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

bright  intellects  now  adorning  the  learned  profes 
sions  of  the  country  that  would  have  been  unknown 
to  fame  but  for  his  persistent  efforts  in  "  capturing  " 
them.  President  Hinsdale,  who  now  presides  over 
Hiram  College,  was  one  of  them,  —  one  of  the 
ablest  and  most  remarkable  scholars  of  the  land. 
Garfield  tells  the  story  of  the  capture  of  two  boys 
as  follows : 

"I  have  taken  more  solid  comfort  in  the  thing 
itself,  and  received  more  moral  recompense  and 
stimulus  in  after  life,  from  capturing  young  men  for 
an  education  than  from  anything  else  in  the  world. 

"  As  I  look  back  over  my  life  thus  far,  I  think  of 
nothing  that  so  fills  me  with  pleasure  as  the  plan 
ning  of  these  sieges,  the  revolving  in  my  mind  of 
plans  for  scaling  the  walls  of  the  fortress ;  of  gain 
ing  access  to  the  inner  soul-life,  and  at  last  seeing 
the  besieged  party  won  to  a  fuller  appreciation  of 
himself,  to  a  higher  conception  of  life,  and  of  the 
part  he  is  to  bear  in  it.  The  principal  guards 
which  I  have  found  it  necessary  to  overcome  in 
gaining  these  victories  are  the  parents  or  guardians 
of  the  young  men  themselves.  I  particularly  re 
member  two  such  instances  of  capturing  young  men 
from  their  parents.  Both  of  those  boys  are  to-day 
educators,  of  wide  reputation,  —  one  president  of  a 
college,  the  other  high  in  the  ranks  of  graded-school 
managers.  Neither,  in  my  opinion,  would  to-day 
have  been  above  the  commonest  walks  of  life  unless 
I,  or  some  one  else,  had  captured  him.  There  is  a 
period  in  every  young  man's  life  when  a  very  small 


RETURN  TO  HIRAM.  351 

thing  will  turn  him  one  way  or  the  other.  He  is 
distrustful  of  himself,  and  uncertain  as  to  what  he 
should  do.  His  parents  are  poor,  perhaps,  and 
argue  that  he  has  more  education  than  they  ever 
obtained,  and  that  it  is  enough.  These  parents  are 
sometimes  a  little  too  anxious  in  regard  to  what 
their  boys  are  going  to  do  when  they  get  through 
with  their  college  course.  They  talk  to  the  young 
man  too  much,  and  I  have  noticed  that  the  boy  who 
will  make  the  best  man  is  sometimes  most  ready  to 
doubt  himself.  I  always  remember  the  turning  pe 
riod  in  my  own  life,  and  pity  a  young  man  at  this 
stage  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart.  One  of  the 
young  men  I  refer  to  came  to  me  on  the  closing  day 
of  the  spring  term,  and  bade  me  good-by  at  my 
study.  I  noticed  that  he  awkwardly  lingered  after 
I  expected  him  to  go,  and  had  turned  to  my  writing 
again.  '  I  suppose  you  will  be  back  again  in  the  fall, 
Henry?' I  said,  to  fill  in  the  vacuum.  He  did  not 
answer,  and  turning  towards  him,  I  noticed  that  his 
eyes  were  filled  with  tears,  and  that  his  countenance 
was  undergoing  contortions  of  pain. 

"  He  at  length  managed  to  stammer  out,  '  No,  I 
am  not  coming  back  to  Hiram  any  more.  Father 
says  I  have  got  education  enough,  and  that  he  needs 
me  to  work  on  the  farm ;  that  education  don't  help 
along  a  farmer  any.' 

"'Is  your  father  here?'  I  asked,  almost  as  much 
affected  by  the  statement  as  the  boy  himself.  He 
was  a  peculiarly  bright  boy,  one  of  those  strong, 
awkward,  bashful,  blonde,  large -headed  fellows, 


35 2  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

such  as  make  men.  He  was  not  a  prodigy  by  any 
means ;  but  he  knew  what  work  meant,  and  when 
he  had  won  a  thing  by  the  true  endeavor,  he  knew 
its  value. 

'Yes,  father  is  here,  and  is  taking  my  thing's 
home  for  good,'  said  the  boy,  more  affected  than 
ever. 

'"  Well,  don't  feel  badly,'  I  said.  '  Please  tell  him 
Mr.  Garfield  would  like  to  see  him  at  his  study  be 
fore  he  leaves  the  village.  Don't  tell  him  that  it  is 
about  you,  but  simply  that  I  want  to  see  him.'  In 
the  course  of  half  an  hour  the  old  gentleman,  a  ro 
bust  specimen  of  a  Western  Reserve  yankee,  came 
into  the  room,  and  awkwardly  sat  down.  I  knew 
something  of  the  man  before,  and  I  thought  I  knew 
how  to  begin.  I  shot  right  at  the  bull's-eye  imme 
diately. 

r '  So  you  have  come  up  to  take  Henry  home  with 
you,  have  you?'  The  old  gentleman  answered 
c  Yes.'  f  I  sent  for  you  because  I  wanted  to  have  a 
little  talk  with  you  about  Henry's  future.  He  is 
coming  back  again  in  the  fall,  I  hope?' 

'  Wai,  I  think  not.  I  don't  reckon  I  can  afford 
to  sind  him  any  more.  He's  got  eddication  enough 
for  a  farmer  already,  and  I  notice  that  when  they  git 
too  much  they  sorter  git  lazy.  Yer  eddicated  farm 
ers  are  humbugs.  Henry  's  got  so  far  'long  now  that 
he'd  rother  hev  his  head  in  a  book  than  be  workin'. 
He  don't  take  no  interest  in  the  stock  nor  in  the  farm 
improvements.  Everybody  else  is  dependent  in  this 
world  on  the  farmer,  and  I  think  that  we've  got  too 


RETURN  TO  HIRAM.  353 

many  eddicated  fellows  setting  around  now  for  the 
farmer  to  support.' 

"  '  I  am  sorry  to  hear  you  talk  so,'  I  said ;  '  for 
really  I  consider  Henry  one  of  the  brightest  and 
most  faithful  students  I  have  ever  had.  I  have  taken 
a  very  deep  interest  in  him.  What  I  wanted  to  sav 
to  you  was,  that  the  matter  of  educating  him  has 
largely  been  a  constant  outgo  thus  far,  but  if  he  is 
permitted  to  come  next  fall  term,  he  will  be  far 
enough  advanced  so  that  he  can  teach  school  in  the 
winter,  and  begin  to  help  himself  and  you  along. 
He  can  earn  very  little  on  the  farm  in  the  winter, 
and  he  can  get  very  good  wages  teaching.  How 
does  that  strike  you  ? ' 

"  The  idea  was  a  new  and  good  one  to  him.  He 
simply  remarked,  '  Do  you  really  think  he  can  teach 
next  winter?' 

" '  I  should  think  so,  certainly,'  I  replied.  f  But 
if  he  cannot  do  so  then,  he  can  in  a  short  time,  any 
how.' 

"'Wai,  I  will  think  on  it.  He  wants  to  come  back 
bad  enough,  and  I  guess  I'll  have  to  let  him.  I 
never  thought  of  it  that  way  afore.' 

"  I  knew  I  was  safe.  It  was  the  financial  question 
that  troubled  the  old  gentleman,  and  I  knew  that 
would  be  overcome  when  Henry  got  to  teaching,  and 
could  earn  his  money  himself.  He  would  then  be  so 
far  along,  too,  that  he  could  fight  his  own  battles. 
He  came  all  right  the  next  fall,  and,  after  finishing 
at  Hiram,  graduated  at  an  Eastern  college." 

"'Well,  how  did  you  manage  the  campaign  for 

23 


354  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

capturing    the   other    young   man  ? '   Garfield   was 
asked. 

"Well,  that  was  a  different  case.  I  knew  that 
this  youth  was  going  to  leave  mainly  for  financial 
reasons  also,  but  I  understood  his  father  well  enough 
to  know  that  the  matter  must  be  managed  with  ex 
ceeding  delicacy.  He  was  a  man  of  very  strong 
religious  convictions,  and  I  thought  he  might  be  ap 
proached  from  that  side  of  his  character  ;  so  when  I 
got  the  letter  of  the  son,  telling  me,  in  the  saddest 
language  that  he  could  master,  that  he  could  not 
come  back  to  school  any  more,  but  must  be  content 
to  be  simply  a  farmer,  much  as  it  was  against  his 
inclination,  I  revolved  the  matter  in  my  mind,  and 
decided  to  send  an  appointment  to  preach  in  the  little 
country  church  where  the  old  gentleman  attended. 
I  took  for  a  subject  the  parable  of  the  talents,  and  in 
the  course  of  my  discourse  dwelt  specially  upon  the 
fact  that  children  were  the  talents  which  had  been 
intrusted  to  parents,  and  if  these  talents  were  not  in 
creased  and  developed  there  was  a  fearful  trust  neg 
lected.  After  church  I  called  upon  the  parents  of 
the  boy  I  was  besieging,  and  I  saw  that  something 
was  weighing  upon  their  minds.  At  length  the  sub 
ject  of  the  discourse  was  taken  up  and  gone  over 
again,  and  in  due  course  the  young  man  himself  waj> 
discussed,  and  I  gave  my  opinion  that  he  should  by 
all  means  be  encouraged  and  assisted  in  taking  a 
thorough  course  of  study.  I  gave  my  opinion  that 
there  was  nothing  more  important  to  the  parent  than 
to  do  all  in  his  power  for  the  child.  The  next  term 


RETURN  TO  HIRAM.  355 

the  young  man  again  appeared  upon  Hiram  Hill, 
and  remained  pretty  continuously  till  graduation." 

He  was  wonderfully  magnetic.  He  never  failed 
to  win  students  to  himself.  President  Hinsdale  says 
of  him : 

"  Naturally,  Garfield,  the  teacher,  drew  his  pupils 
to  himself  with  extraordinary  power.  Never  have  I 
seen  such  devotion  to  another  teacher.  An  old  Hi 
ram  student,  now  holding  a  responsible  office  in  the 
public  schools  of  Cleveland,  speaking  of  the  old 
times  before  Garfield  went  to  college,  says  in  a  pri 
vate  letter :  'Then  began  to  grow  up  in  me  an  admi 
ration  and  love  for  Garfield  that  has  never  abated, 
and  the  like  of  which  I  have  never  known.  A  bow 
of  recognition  or  a  single  word  from  him  was  to  me 
an  inspiration.'  And  such  would  be  the  general 
testimony.  In  all  this  there  was  method;  not  the 
method  of  crafty  art,  as  the  cynical  might  say,  but 
the  method  of  nature,  the  method  of  a  great  mind 
and  noble  heart.  I  take  my  leave  of  this  Hiram 
teacher  with  affirming  my  conviction  that,  other 
things  being  equal,  Garfield  has  never  been  greater 
than  he  was  in  Hiram  from  1857  to  1861.  He  left 
the  quiet  of  the  academy  for  the  roar  of  the  field  and 
the  forum  at  the  age  of  thirty,  but  not  until  he  had 
demonstrated  his  fitness  for  the  highest  educational 
work  and  honors." 

The  following  facts  and  incidents  will  illustrate 
some  of  his  methods  and  qualities  as  a  teacher. 

One  day  a  pupil  made  a  sad  failure  in  the  class, 
at  least  on  a  portion  of  the  lesson,  when  Garfield 


356  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

roguishly  pointed  to  a  soiled  place  in  one  corner  of 
the  recitation  room,  where  the  water  had  trickled 
through  the  plastering,  and  run  down  upon  the  wall. 

"  Look  there,"  he  said,  laughing  at  the  same  time, 
and  eliciting  a  smile  from  each  member  of  the  class. 
That  was  all  he  said ;  but  the  rebuke  was  keen  and 
sharp,  coming  in  that  way  from  him.  Such  was  his 
usual  method.  Occasionally,  however,  when  he 
perceived  a  really  rebellious  spirit  that  meant  mis 
chief,  he  was  severe  and  withering  in  his  method  of 
treatment. 

He  assigned  a  certain  task  to  a  student  at  one 
time,  when  the  latter  said  : 

"  I  doubt  whether  I  can  do  it.  I  do  not  think  I 
am  equal  to  it." 

"Not  equal  to  it?" 

"  No,  sir." 

"  Darsie  !  "  answered  Garfield ;  w  when  I  get  into 
a  place  that  I  can  easily  fill,  I  always  feel  like  shov 
ing  out  of  it  into  one  that  requires  of  me  more  exer 
tion." 

In  this  single  sentence  was  one  of  the  secrets  of 
his  success ;  and  Darsie  saw  it  at  once.  Garfield 
had  risen  rapidly  by  setting  his  standard  high,  and 
bringing  himself  up  to  it. 

Akin  to  this,  he  said  to  the  students  on  one  occa 
sion, 

"I  shall  give  you  a  series  of  lectures  upon  his 
tory,  beginning  next  week.  I  do  this  not  alone  to 
assist  you ;  the  preparation  for  the  lectures  will 
compel  me  to  study  history." 


RETURN  TO  HIRAM. 


357 


It  was  not  the  mere  announcement  that  was  inter- 
rsting ;  it  was  a  method  of  his  to  show  his  pupils 
the  best  plan  of  study.  He  could  do  more  and  bet 
ter  work  under  a  necessity  than  otherwise ;  and  so 
can  every  one.  It  was  his  custom  to  lecture  on  the 
topics  he  desired  to  study  particularly,  that  he  might 
derive  the  benefit  of  a  two-fold  object.  He  wanted 
his  pupils  to  appreciate  the  advantage  of  it. 

"  How  in  the  world  can  he  time  his  steps  so  as  to 
take  the  last  one  just  as  the  bell  stops?"  remarked 
a  student,  referring  to  his  coming  into  the  chapel- 
exercises  and  taking  his  seat  precisely  as  the  bell 
ceased. 

"  Hard  telling,"  replied  Darsie  ;  w  but  he  is  always 
on  the  stairs  in  the  last  half  of  the  last  minute,  and 
glides  into  his  seat  just  as  the  last  tap  of  the  bell  is 
struck."  The  last  stroke  of  the  bell  was  indicated 
by  a  little  more  vigorous  pull  of  the  rope. 

"And  what  seems  marvellous  to  me  is,  that  he 
never  fails.  I  could  n't  time  my  steps  like  that," 
added  the  student. 

Garfield  insisted  upon  -punctuality  everywhere,  — 
at  prayers,  recitation,  lectures,  all  engagements.  He 
demanded  -promptness  as  an  essential  duty.  He 
made  his  pupils  feel  the  importance  of  these  qualities. 
But  he  would  not  require  of  them  what  he  did  not 
practice  himself.  He  was  the  last  man  to  preach 
what  he  did  not  practice.  So  he  illustrated,  every 
day,  by  personal  example,  the  lessons  which  he 
taught  respecting  these  virtues. 

Returning  from  a  neighboring  town  one  morn- 


358  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

ing,  where  he  lectured  on  the  previous  evening,  he 
entered  his  recitation  room  late.  Another  teacher, 
supposing  he  would  not  return  in  season  to  hear 
the  recitation,  had  taken  his  class.  As  he  entered,  a 
pupil  was  answering  a  question.  While  in  the  act 
of  removing  his  overcoat,  and  precisely  as  the  pupil's 
answer  ceased,  Garfield  put  another  question  in  the 
same  line,  as  if  the  previous  question  were  put  by 
himself.  He  smiled,  the  teacher  laughed  and  bowed 
himself  out  of  the  room,  and  the  class  roared.  It 
was  a  happy  termination  of  a  single  act  of  tardiness. 

He  was  accustomed  to  lecture  to  his  pupils  upon 
"manners,"  "elements  of  success,"  and  kindred  top 
ics.  One  day  his  topic  was  the  "  Turning  Point  of 
Life,"  in  which  he  said, 

"  The  comb  of  the  roof  at  the  court  house  at  Ra 
venna  (capital  of  Portage  county,  of  which  Hiram 
was  a  town)  divides  the  drops  of  rain,  sending  those 
that  fall  on  the  south  side  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
and  those  on  the  opposite  side  into  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence,  so  that  a  mere  breath  of  air,  or  the  flut 
ter  of  a  bird's  wing,  may  determine  their  destiny.  It 
is  so  with  your  lives,  my  young  friends.  A  passing 
event,  perhaps  of  trifling  importance  in  your  view, 
the  choice  of  a  book  or  companion,  a  stirring  thought, 
a  right  resolve,  the  associations  of  an  hour,  may 
prove  the  turning  point  of  your  lives." 

During  his  connection  with  the  school  as  princi 
pal  his  lectures  were  numerous.  He  lectured  upon 
the  natural  sciences,  reading,  books,  government, 
and  occasional  "  topics  of  the  times."  He  delivered 


RETURN  TO  HIRAM.  359 

many  lectures  in  Portage  county,  and  in  neighbor 
ing  counties,  before  literary  societies;  lectures  upon 
geology,  illustrated  by  charts  of  his  own  making, 
"Character  and  Writings  of  Sir  Walter  Scott," 
"Character  of  the  German  People,"  and  "  Carlyle's 
Frederic  the  Great."  He  was  the  most  popular  lec 
turer  in  Ohio.  Crossing  swords  with  William  Den- 
ton,  the  skeptic,  brought  him  into  great  notoriety. 
"  He  held  a  debate  with  Denton  on  the  question  of 
Whether  all  life  upon  the  earth  was  developed  by 
processes  of  law,  or  had  been  introduced  by  succes 
sive  creative  acts.  Denton  held  the  development 
theory ;  Garfield  that  of  intelligent,  providential  ac 
tion.  The  discussion  lasted  five  days  and  evenings, 
embraced  twenty  speeches  on  the  part  of  each  of  the 
disputants,  and  was  remarkable  as  a  sustained  and 
severe  intellectual  effort."  It  won  laurels  for  Garfield 
as  a  debater  and  man  of  giant  intellect. 

Says  Rev.  J.  L.  Darsie,  who  was  one  of  his  pu 
pils,  "  His  lectures  to  the  school  were  upon  all  sorts 
of  subjects,  and  were  generally  the  result  of  his 
readings  and  observation.  One  season  he  took  a 
trip,  and,  on  his  return,  gave  a  very  interesting  series 
on  "  The  Chain  of  Lakes,"  including  Niagara,  Thou 
sand  Islands,  and  sub-historic  points.  One  lecture 
on  aerolites  I  shall  never  forget.  He  gave  several 
upon  Ordnance,  about  the  time  of  the  attack  upon 
Fort  Sumter.  ^Esthetics  came  in  for  a  share  of  treat 
ment,  with  others  on  the  personal  habits  of  the  stu 
dents  ;  and  they  were  very  effective.  He  lectured 
upon  any  and  every  scientific  subject." 


360  LOG-CABIN   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

A  large  number  of  students  were  always  in  attend 
ance,  who  paid  their  way  along  by  teaching  school 
in  the  winter.  To  these  he  gave  lectures  on  the  art 
of  teaching.  Mr.  Darsie  says  :  "At  each  lecture  he 
appointed  one  or  two  pupils  to  bring  in  a  review  of 
the  lecture  in  writing,  on  a  succeeding  morning,  and 
these  reviews  were  read  to  the  school.  I  now  recall 
one  of  the  most  successful  journalists  of  our  land, 
who  began  his  training  here.  In  all  he  said  or  did 
Garfield  had  the  remarkable  power  of  impressing 
himself  and  his  thoughts  upon  his  hearers,  by  his 
manners,  gestures,  tone  of  voice,  and  the  freshness 
of  his  style.  It  was  customary  to  act  plays  on  com 
mencement  occasions,  and  the  drama,  in  its  more 
moral  and  high-toned  phases,  was  encouraged. 
Often  the  play  was  original,  and  always  subject  to 
the  strictures  of  the  faculty,  as  were  all  the  public 
performances.  Garfield,  when  a  student,  was  one 
of  the  most  successful  in  delineating  character.  He 
could  impersonate  almost  any  character,  and  was 
amazingly  successful  in  this  role." 

He  delivered  also  many  extemporaneous  speeches 
on  social  and  literary  occasions,  and  even  in  political 
campaigns.  He  studied  law,  also,  while  he  was 
teacher  at  Hiram,  doing  it  by  the  improvement  of 
odd  moments,  and  by  burning  midnight-oil.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  before  he  exchanged  the 
quiet  of  teaching  for  the  roar  of  battle.  He  studied 
law,  w  not  so  much  with  the  intention  of  becoming  a 
lawyer  as  to  acquaint  himself  with  the  principles  of 
law.  He  had  no  idea  of  abandoning  his  chosen 


RETURN  TO  HIRAM.  361 


profession  to  spend  his  energies  in  law-practice,  but 
the  principles  of  law  were  needed  to  round  his 
knowledge,  and  increase  his  power." 

As  a  Christian  man,  his  influence  was  grand  and 
ennobling,  and  his  labors  as  a  preacher  are  to  be 
added  to  the  mass  of  his  other  labors.  He  often 
preached  in  the  Disciples'  church  at  Hiram,  and 
at  one  time  he  preached  regularly  at  Solon  and 
Newburg,  whither  he  went  on  Saturday  night,  re 
turning  on  Monday  morni-ng.  He  preached  more 
or  less  throughout  the  county.  Preaching  and  lec 
turing  in  other  towns,  near  and  remote,  spread  a 
knowledge  of  the  school,  and  made  it  popular.  He 
required  his  pupils  to  observe  the  highest  standard 
of  moral  conduct,  and  his  counsel  here  was  frequent 
and  direct.  His  favorite  hymn  at  chapel-service 
was,  "  Ho  !  reapers  of  Life's  Harvest,"  etc.,  and  he 
joined  in  the  singing  with  a  will.  He  often  re 
quested  the  students  to  sing  this  hymn  at  morning 
devotions,  allowing  them  to  sit  until  they  came  to 
the  last  verse,  when  he  would  rap  upon  the  desk 
with  his  knuckles,  and  the  school  would  rise  and 
sing  the  last  verse  standing. 

He  married  Miss  Rudolph,  the  lady  to  whom  he 
was  engaged  before  entering  college,  on  November 
n,  1858.  Her  efficient  co-operation  enabled  him 
to  accomplish  so  large  an  amount  of  labor.  Often, 
in  the  preparation  of  a  lecture  or  speech,  his  wife 
and  Miss  Booth  would  explore  the  library  for  him, 
or  examine  certain  books  which  he  designated.  The 
number  of  books  that  he  perused  in  a  year  was  al- 


362,  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

most  incredible.  Going  from  the  library  with  his 
arms  full  of  volumes  was  a  common  spectacle.  Mr. 
Darsie  has  seen  him  on  his  way  to  the  library,  in  the 
rain,  returning  ten  or  twelve  volumes,  a  student 
walking  by  his  side,  holding  an  umbrella  over  his 
head.  Some  books  awakened  his  enthusiasm  ;  he 
read  them  more  than  once.  Such  books  as  "  Tom 
Brown's  School  Days,"  won  his  admiration.  He 
told  his  pupils  that  every  one  of  them  ought  to  read 
the  work  carefully.  Macaulay's  works,  and  Mills, 
and  works  of  kindred  ability  and  value,  he  particu 
larly  enjoyed  and  recommended. 

In  those  days  Commencement  exercises  brought 
together  from  five  to  ten  thousand  people.  They 
came  from  fifty  miles  around.  A  large  tent  was 
pitched  over  a  stage,  on  which  the  literary  exercises 
were  performed.  Booths  for  refreshments  were 
erected  here  and  there,  and  often  showmen  would 
appear  upon  the  ground.  Roughs  and  intoxicated 
persons  sometimes  appeared  in  large  numbers,  caus 
ing  disturbance,  and  sadly  marr-ing  the  harmony  of 
the  occasion.  But  after  Garfield  became  principal 
these  scenes  stopped.  The  pointing,  of  his  finger, 
or  the  waving  of  his  hand,  when  disturbance  broke 
out  in  any  quarter,  quelled  it  at  once.  Roughs  ap 
peared  to  understand  that  his  authority  could  not  be 
trifled  with  on  such  occasions. 

We  shall  close  this  chapter  by  another  quotation 
from  Rev.  Mr.  Darsie : 

"  No  matter  how  old  the  pupils  were,  Garfield  al 
ways  called  us  by  our  first  names,  and  kept  himself 


RESIDENCE  OF  JAMES  A.  GARFIELD,   HIRAM,  OHIO. 


RETURN  TO  HIRAM.  363 

on  the  most  familiar  terms  with  all.  He  played  with 
us  freely,  scuffled  with  us  sometimes,  walked  with 
us  in  walking  to  and  fro,  and  we  treated  him  out  of 
the  class  just  about  as  we  did  one  another.  Yet  he 
was  a  most  strict  disciplinarian,  and  enforced  the 
rules  like  a  martinet.  He  combined  an  affectionate 
and  confiding  manner  with  respect  for  order,  in  a 
most  successful  way.  If  he  wanted  to  speak  to  a 
pupil,  either  for  reproof  or  approbation,  he  would 
generally  manage  to  get"  one  arm  around  him,  and 
draw  him  close  up  to  him.  He  had  a  peculiar  way 
of  shaking  hands,  too,  giving  a  twist  to  your  arm, 
and  drawing  you  right  up  to  him.  This  sympathetic 
manner  has  helped  him  to  advancement.  When  I 
was  janitor  he  used  sometimes  to  stop  me  and  ask 
my  opinion  about  this  and  that,  as  if  seriously  ad 
vising  with  me.  I  can  see  now  that  my  opinion 
could  not  have  been  of  any  value,  and  that  he  prob 
ably  asked  me,  partly  to  increase  my  self-respect 
and  partly  to  show  me  that  he  felt  an  interest  in  me. 
I  certainly  was  his  friend  all  the  firmer  for  it. 

"  I  remember  once  asking  him  what  was  .the  best 
way  to  pursue  a  certain  study,  and,  he  said:  'Use 
several  text-books ;  get  the  views  of  different  au 
thors  as  you  advance ;  in  that  way  you  can  plow 
a  broader  furrow.  I  always  study  in  that  way.'  He 
tried  hard  to  have  us  observe  carefully  and  accu 
rately.  He  broke  out  one  day  in  the  midst  of  a  les 
son  with,  '  Henry,  how  many  posts  are  there  under 
the  building  down-stairs?'  Henry  expressed  his 
opinion,  and  the  question  went  round  the  class- 


364  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


hardly  one  getting  it  right.  Then  it  was,  f  How 
many  boot-scrapers  are  there  at  the  door?'  'How 
many  windows  in  the  building?'  '  How  many  trees 
in  the  field  ? '  '  What  were  the  colors  of  particu 
lar  rooms,  and  the  peculiarities  of  any  familiar  ob 
jects?'  He  was  the  keenest  observer  I  ever  saw. 
I  think  he  observed,  and  numbered,  every  button  on 
our  coats.  A  friend  of  mine  was  walking  with  him 
through  Cleveland,  one  day,  when  Garfield  stopped 
and  darted  down  a  cellar-way,  asking  his  companion 
to  follow,  and  briefly  stopping  to  explain  himself. 
The  sign,  f  Saws  and  Files  '  was  over  the  door,  and 
in  the  depths  was  heard  a  regular  clicking  sound. 
*  I  think  this  fellow  is  cutting  files,'  said  he,  '  and  I 
have  never  seen  a  file  cut.'  Down  they  went,  and, 
sure  enough,  there  was  a  man  re-cutting  an  old  file, 
and  they  stayed  there  ten  minutes,  and  found  out  all 
about  the  process.  Garfield  would  never  go  by  any 
thing  without  understanding  it." 


XXIII. 
TOP  OF  THE  LADDER. 

was  impossible  for  a  public  speaker  of 
GarfielcTs  power  to  keep  out  of  politics. 
In  political  campaigns  the  public  demand 
his  efforts  ;  men  will  not  take  no  for  an 
answer.  It  was  so  with  Garfield.  He  was  impressed 
into  the  service  by  leading  citizens  of  his  county. 
In  the  autumn  after  his  return  to  Hiram,  before  he 
hardly  had  time  to  become  settled  in  his  great  work, 
his  efforts  on  the  platform  were  sought ;  and  the  new 
Republican  party,  on  the  anti-slavery  basis,  with  its 
first  candidate,  John  C.Fremont,  a  man  of  Garfield's 
stamp  in  vigor,  courage,  and  force  of  character,  was 
exceedingly  taking  to  him.  Nobody  had  to  tease 
him  long  for  a  speech.  Often  he  went  in  the  even 
ing  to  make  a  speech,  five,  six,  ten  miles  distant, 
returning  after  the  address.  Usually  he  took  a  stu 
dent  with  him  for  company  and  improvement.  As 
soon  as  they  started  he  would  open  conversation, 
seldom  upon  the  subject  of  his  discourse,  but  upon 
some  topic  of  real  value  to  the  student.  Going  and 


366  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

returning  his  conversation  was  continued  without 
the  least  abatement. 

Alphonso  Hart,  a  stalwart  Democrat  of  Ravenna, 
delivered  a  speech  in  Hiram,  full  of  slavery  and 
Democratic  sophistries  and  errors.  Garrield  heard 
it,  with  many  Republican  citizens. 

"  Reply  to  it,  Mr.  Garfield,"  appealed  an  influen 
tial  citizen  to  him.  "  Floor  him." 

"  That  can  easily  be  done,"  Garfield  answered ; 
"  but  is  it  wise  ?  " 

"  It  is  always  wise  to  refute  error  and  wrong  any 
where." 

"  I  confess  that  I  should  enjoy  handling  him  with 
out  gloves  for  an  hour." 

"  Handle  him,  then,"  urged  the  citizen.  "  It  will 
do  the  Republican  party  a  world  of  good." 

Other  citizens  put  in  their  pleas  for  him  to  answer 
Hart. 

"  You  are  just  the  one  to  do  it." 

"  Everybody  wants  you  should  answer  him." 

"  It  will  make  votes  for  Fremont." 

"  Come  now,  do  gratify  the  public  desire." 

In  this  way  Garfield  was  beset  with  pleas  to 
answer  the  Democratic  orator;  and  he  consented. 
The  meeting  was  in  the  Disciples  church,  and  it 
was  packed  to  its  utmost  capacity.  Garfield's  reply 
was  devoid  of  all  bitterness,  but  was  powerful  with 
logic  and  facts.  He  hauled  over  the  record  of  the 
Democratic  party,  with  its  indorsement  of  slavery 
with  all  its  horrors,  and  he  made  that  record  appear 
black  enough.  The  effort  was  both  able  and  trium- 


TOP  OF  THE  LADDER.  367 

phant,  and  the  fame  of  it  rapidly  spread  through 
out  the  county.  Appeals  for  more  speeches  came 
in  from  all  the  region  about,  and  finally  a  discus 
sion  was  arranged  between  Garfield  and  Hart,  to 
take  place  at  Garrettsville  on  a  given  day.  Crowds 
flocked  to  hear  the  debate.  Garfield  was  in  his  ele 
ment  on  that  day,  for  he  had  posted  himself  thor 
oughly  upon  the  history  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  the  aims  of  its  southern  leaders  to  make 
slavery  national.  His  antagonist  was  completely 
discomfited  in  the  discussion.  He  had  counted 
without  his  host.  He  was  floored.  Garfield's  suc 
cess  lifted  him  at  once  into  enviable  notoriety  as  a 
political  debater  and  orator,  and,  from  that  time, 
remarks  like  the  following  were  common : 

"  He  must  go  to  the  legislature." 

"  We  must  send  him  to  congress." 

"Just  the  man  to  follow  that  old  anti-slavery  war- 
horse,  Giddings." 

"You'll  see  him  President  yet." 

And  so  the  enthusiastic  awakening  expended  itself, 
in  a  measure,  upon  Garfield's  supposed  future  ca 
reer.  One  year  later  the  position  of  representative 
to  the  State  legislature  was  tendered  him. 

"No;  my  work  is  here  in  the  Institute.  I  have 
'no  ambition  to  enter  political  life.  I  must  decline 
the  proposition."  Garfield  thus  replied  out  of  an 
honest  heart. 

Again  and  again  he  was  urged  to  accept  the  po 
sition,  but  to  every  one  his  answer  was  the  same. 

"My  work  is  here,  and  my  heart  is  here,  and  my 
PUTY  is  here."  No  appeals  could  move  him. 


368  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

In  1859  the  faculty  of  Williams  College  invited 
him  to  deliver  the  master's  oration  on  Commence 
ment  day.  It  was  a  rare  compliment  the  faculty  paid 
to  him  by  this  invitation,  for  it  was  but  three  years 
after  he  was  graduated.  Accepting  the  invitation, 
and  preparing  himself  carefully  for  the  occasion,  he 
left  Hiram  for  Williamstown,  Massachusetts,  accom 
panied  by  his  wife,  taking  the  first  pleasure-trip  of 
his  life.  He  descended  the  St.  Lawrence  river  to 
Quebec,  and  then  crossed  the  New  England  states 
to  his  destination.  A  warm  welcome  awaited  him 
there.  Nor  were  the  numerous  friends  who  gath 
ered  disappointed  in  the  orator  of  the  day.  His 
praises  were  on  every  lip. 

On  his  return,  when  he  had  reached  Mentor,  in 
his  own  state,  a  delegation  of  citizens  met  him  with 
an  unexpected  proposition. 

"  We  want  you  to  become  a  candidate  for  state 
senator." 

"  Indeed  !  "  exclaimed  Garfield,  very  much  sur 
prised  by  the  proposition.  "  I  thought  Mr.  Prentiss 
was  the  man." 

"  Mr.  Prentiss  has  just  died,  very  suddenly." 

Mr.  Prentiss  was  a  man  well  advanced  in  life,  a 
very  popular  citizen  of  Ravenna,  whose  re-election 
had  been  determined  upon.  But  his  sudden  death 
frustrated  their  plans ;  and  now  all  hearts  turned  to 
the  young  principal  of  Hiram  Institute. 

"  You  are  the  first  choice  of  the  leading  Repub 
licans  of  the  district." 

w  I  thank  you  sincerely  for  thinking  of  me,  and, 


TOP  OF  THE  LADDER.  369 

really,  it  is  a  temptation  to  receive  this  offer ;  but  I 
do  not  see  how  I  can  consistently  consent." 

"Your  name  will  enable  us  to  carry  the  district 
for  the  Republicans  easily,"  urged  another  one  of 
the  delegation.  "  I  hope  you  will  not  decline  with 
out  giving  the  subject  some  thought." 

"  Yes  ;  but  my  thought  is  of  the  Institute.  How 
can  I  accept  your  proposition  and  discharge  my 
duties  to  the  school." 

"Your  duties  in  the  senate  will  keep  you  away 
but  a  few  weeks.  Suppose  you  take  the  subject  into 
consideration,  confer  with  the  faculty,  and  let  us 
have  your  decision  a  week  hence." 

The  last  speaker  knew  that  some  members  of  the 
faculty  and  board  of  trustees,  were  anxious  that  he 
should  accept  the  nomination. 

To  this  last  suggestion  Garfield  yielded,  and  the 
matter  was  laid  before  the  faculty  and  trustees.  To 
his  surprise  all  of  them  urged  him  to  consent  to  the 
use  of  his  name.  Teachers  volunteered  to  do  extra 
work  in  his  absence,  and  all  were  willing  to  contrib 
ute  service,  so  as  to  make  it  possible  for  him  to  go. 

Garfield  was  pressed  into  this  political  service, 
and  received  the  nomination.  He  was  present,  by 
request,  at  the  nominating  convention,  and  while  the 
business  was  in  progress  a  delegate,  who  saw  the 
youthful  candidate  on  that  day  for  the  first  time,  re 
marked  to  a  leading  Republican  : 

"  Don't  you  make  a  mistake  in  putting  forward  so 
young  a  man  for  senator?" 
24 


370  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Only  young  in  years ;  he  is  not  young  in  abil 
ity,"  was  the  prompt  reply. 

"I  don't  know  about  that;  unless  his  looks  belie 
him  his  expedience  in  public  life  must  be  rather 
limited." 

"You  wait  and  see.  We  shall  hear  from  him 
when  this  business  is  through,  and  you  will  be  satis 
fied  that  his  head  is  old,  though  his  body  is  young." 

After  the  nomination,  according  to  the  custom  that 
prevailed,  Garfield  accepted  it  in  a  characteristic 
speech.  The  delegate  who  doubted  the  wisdom  of 
the  nomination  immediately  said  to  the  Republican 
to  whom  his  doubts  were  expressed, 

"  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  ;  he  is  a  power." 

Garfield  was  elected  by  a  very  large  majority, 
and  took  his  seat  in  the  state  senate,  January, 
1860.  It  was  a  time  of  great  excitement.  The 
south  was  threatening  secession  and  civil  war,  if 
a  Republican  should  be  elected  president  in  the  ap 
proaching  campaign.  The  north  was  fully  aroused 
to  check  the  incursions  of  slavery,  by  a  bold  and 
victorious  advance.  Garfield  was  just  the  man  to 
occupy  a  seat  in  the  state  senate  at  such  a  time, 
though  he  was  the  youngest  member  of  the  body. 
There  was  another  able  young  man  in  the  senate 
with  him,  as  radical  as  himself,  Jacob  D.  Cox,  after 
wards  major-general,  governor  of  Ohio,  and  Secre 
tary  of  the  Interior,  The  two  roomed  together,  and 
were  as  intimate  as  brothers.  Some  of  the  members 
called  them  "Damon  and  Pythias."  There  was  still 
another  young  man,  Professor  Munroe  of  Oberlin 


TOP  OF  THE  LADDER.  377 

College,  an  institution  that  was  founded  on  anti-slav 
ery  principles,  and  whose  teachers  were  as  one  with 
Garfield  on  the  great  national  question  that  over 
topped  all  others  —  liberty.  Cox  himself  was  the 
son-in-law  -of  an  Oberlin  professor.  These  three 
senators  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  against  slavery, 
and  were  called  the  "  radical  triumvirate." 

Garfield  took  rank  at  once  with  the  ablest  speak 
ers  in  that  body.  President  Hinsdale  says,  "He 
was  a  valuable  man  on  -  committees  and  in  party 
counsels.  No  senator  was  more  frequently  called  to 
his  counsels  by  the  president  of  the  senate  when 
knotty  points  of  order  were  to  be  untied  or  cut." 

In  a  previous  chapter  we  learned  that  Garfield 
visited  Columbus  with  his  mother,  and  saw  the 
legislature  in  session.  Little  did  he  dream,  or  his 
mother,  that  in  less  than  ten  years  he  would  be  a 
leading  member  of  that  senate,  his  eloquence  ring 
ing  through  those  halls,  and  his  wise  counsels  and 
patriotic  efforts  preparing  the  state  to  oppose  rebel 
lion  with  great  power ;  yet  so  it  was.  One  of  the 
most  marvellous  examples  of  success  on  record  ! 

During  his  second  term  in  the  senate,  1861,  he 
was  confronted  by  the  gravest  questions  that  state  or 
nation  ever  have  to  deal  with.  Lincoln  had  been 
'elected  president,  the  southern  states  were  preparing 
to  secede,  and  civil  war  was  imminent.  '*  Shall 
Ohio  prepare  for  war?"  "  Has  a  state  the  right  to 
secede?"  "Can  a  state  be  coerced?"  "  Shall  we 
punish  treason?"  These  were  among  the  questions 
the  young  senator  was  compelled  to  fliscuss.  Al- 


372 


LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


most  night  and  day  he  labored  to  qualify  himself  to 
discuss  them  intelligently  and  ably.  Night  after 
night,  until  eleven,  twelve,  and  even  one  o'clock,  he 
spent  in  the  state  library,  studying  these  and  kin 
dred  questions.  Whenever  he  spoke  upon  them,  he 
spoke  pointedly,  and  with  great  power.  He  led  the 
senate  in  its  patriotic  stand  against  secession  and 
compromise  with  slavery.  He  denounced  Buchanan, 
the  Democratic  president,  who  was  favoring  the 
secessionists,  and  characterized  Cobb,  who  robbed 
the  national  treasury,  and  Floyd,  who  stole  the 
arms  from  every  northern  arsenal,  and  Toucy,  who 
sent  the  ships  of  the  navy  as  far  away  as  possible  — 
all  members  of  the  Democratic  cabinet  —  he  char 
acterized  them  as  traitors  to  their  country.  In  a 
speech  that  blazed  with  fervid  eloquence,  he  told  a 
Democratic  senator,  Judge  Key,  of  Cincinnatti,  "To 
remember  whose  cabinet  it  was  that  had  embraced 
traitors  among  its  most  distinguished  members,  and 
sent  them  forth  from  its  most  secret  sessions  to  be 
tray  their  knowledge  to  their  country's  ruin  !  " 

When  congress  very  unwisely  proposed  a  "  Con 
stitutional  Amendment,"  prohibiting  further  legisla 
tion  upon  slavery  in  the  states,  —  a  measure 
designed  to  placate  the  secessionists,  —  Garfield  de 
nounced  it  in  the  Ohio  senate  as  a  compromise  with 
traitors,  an  unpatriotic  and  base  surrender  to  the 
slave  oligarchy.  He  declared  that  his  arm  should 
wither  in  its  socket  before  it  should  be  lifted  in  favor 
of  a  measure  that  virtually  abandoned  liberty,  and 
left  slavery  master  of  the  situation.  "The  events 


TOP  OF  THE  LADDER. 


373 


now  transpiring  make  it  clear  that  this  is  no  time 
for  any  such  amendment,"  he  exclaimed.  "  Would 
you  give  up  the  forts  and  other  government  prop 
erty,  or  would  you  fight  to  maintain  your  right  to 
them?" 

When  the  vote  was  taken,  Garfield,  with  six. 
others,  recorded  their  names  against  the  "  base  sur 
render."  He  opposed  the  meeting  of  the  famous 
Washington  Peace  Commissioners  until  after  the  in 
auguration  of  Mr.  Lincoln ;  he  protested  against  all 
such  "  peace  measures  "  as  cowardly  and  futile,  pre 
ferring  himself  to  stand  by  the  old  flag,  andjig/it  for 
human  rights. 

Before  this  he  was  satisfied  that  war  could' not  be 
averted.  Late  one  night  he  said  to  his  room 
mate  : 

"  Cox,  war  is  inevitable." 

*  That  is  sure  as  you  live,"  answered  Cox. 
"  You  and  I  must  fight." 

"Or  prove  ourselves  cowards." 

*  Here,  then,  we  pledge  our  lives  to  our  country 
in    this    hour   of  peril."     And   they  clasped  hands 
silently,  such  emotions  stirring   their  breasts  as  pa 
triots  only  feel  in  the  solemn  hour  of  danger. 

News  of  the  firing  upon  Fort  Sumter  was  followed 
immediately  by  a  call  from  President  Lincoln  for 
seventy-five  thousand  men.  The  call  was  read  in 
the  Ohio  senate,  crowded  with  patriotic  spectators, 
whose  tumultuous  applause  seconded  the  president's 
demand.  As  soon  as  the  deafening  cheers  had  sub 
sided  Garfield  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  in  a  short 


374  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

speech,  of  almost  surpassing  eloquence  and  power, 
moved, 

"That  Ohio  contribute  twenty  thousand  men,  and 
three  million  dollars,  as  the  quota  of  the  state." 

The  motion  was  carried  amid  the  wildest  demon 
strations  of  devotion  to  the  country. 

Governor  Dennison,  of  Ohio,  sent  Garfield  to  Mis 
souri  to  obtain  five  thousand  stand  of  arms,  a  portion 
of  those  which  General  Lyon  removed  from  the 
arsenal  at  St.  Louis.  He  was  successful  in  his  mis 
sion,  shipped  the  guns,  and  saw  them  safely  deliv 
ered  at  Columbus. 

After  the  fall  of  Sumter,  Governor  Dennison  sent 
him  to  Cleveland,  to  organize  the  seventh  and 
eighth  regiments  of  Ohio  infantry,  Having  organ 
ized  them,  the  governor  offered  him  the  colonelcy 
of  one  of  them  ;  but  he  declined  the  offer  because 
lie  lacked  "military  experience."  He  promised  to 
take  a  subordinate  position,  however,  provided  a 
West  Point  graduate  was  placed  in  command.  The 
result  was,  that  the  governor  appointed  him  lieu 
tenant-colonel,  and  sent  him  to  the  Western  Reserve 
to  recruit  a  regiment,  promising  him  a  West  Pointer 
to  command  it  if  one  could  be  found.  Garfield  sug 
gested  his  old  friend  and  schoolmate,  Captain  Ha- 
zen,  then  in  the  regular  army  ;  but  when  the  gov 
ernor  sent  to  the  war  department  for  his  transfer, 
General  Scott  refused  to  release  him.  So  the  forty- 
second  Ohio  regiment,  recruited  by  Garfield,  and 
embracing  a  large  number  of  Hiram  students,  went 
into  camp  at  Columbus  without  a  colonel.  It  was 


TOP  OF  THE  LADDER.  375 

in  these  circumstances,  and  after  repeated  requests 
from  officers  and  members  of  the  regiment,  that 
Garfield  consented  to  take  the  command. 

We  have  not  space  for  details.  Garfield  proved 
himself  as  victorious  in  war  as  he  had  been  success 
ful  in  peace.  In  less  than  one  month  after  he  went 
into  action  with  his  regiment,  under  the  orders  of 
General  Buell,  he  fought  the  battle  of  Middle 
Creek,  January  10,  1862,  driving  the  rebel  general 
Marshall,  whose  forces  largely  outnumbered  his, 
out  of  his  intrenchrnents,  compelling  him  to  retreat 
into  Virginia.  Other  victories  followed,  in  what 
was  called  the  w  Sandy  Valley  campaign,"  eliciting 
from  the  commanding  general  a  congratulatory  or 
der,  in  which  he  spoke  of  the  expedition  as  "  calling 
into  action  the  highest  qualities  of  a  soldier  —  forti 
tude,  perseverance,  courage."  For  his  bravery  and 
military  skill  in  this  campaign  the  authorities  at 
Washington  made  Garfield  a  brigadier-general, 
dating  his  commission  back  to  January  10,  1862, 
the  day  of  the  battle  of  Middle  Creek.  As  Garfield 
was  the  youngest  member  of  the  Ohio  senate,  so 
now  he  became  the  youngest  brigadier-general  in 
the  army. 

Subsequently  he  was  made  major-general  "for 
gallant  and  meritorious  services  at  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga."  The  antecedents  of  that  famous 
battle,  under  General  Rosecrans,  show  that  the  vic 
tory  was  due  more  to  the  sagacity,  plans,  and  cour 
age  of  General  Garfield  than  to  any  other  officer. 


376  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Within  about  one  year   and  a  half,  he   rose   from 
a  lieutenant-colonelcy  to  a  major-general. 

In  the  summer  of  1862  leading  republicans  of  the 
nineteenth  Ohio  congressional  district  nominated 
Garfield  to  represent  them  in  congress.  They  re 
garded  him  as  the  man  above  all  others  in  the  dis 
trict  qualified  to  succeed  Joshua  R.  Giddings,  of 
whom  they  were  justly  proud.  Giddings  was  super 
seded  four  years  before  by  John  Hutchins,  with 
whom  the  republicans  were  not  satisfied.  The 
movement  for  Garfield  was  undertaken  without  his 
knowledge.  He  was  at  the  head  of  his  command 
in  Kentucky.  The  knowledge  of  his  great  abilities, 
and  his  mjlitary  fame,  led  to  his  nomination.  At 
first  he  thought  he  must  decline  the  honor,  and  fight 
out  the  battles  of  his  country.  He  was  very  popular 
in  the  army,  both  with  officers  and  soldiers, — his 
pay,  too,  was  double  that  of  a  congressman,  and  he 
was  poor  and  needed  the  greater  salary,  —  and  there 
was  no  doubt  that  the  highest  honors  awaited  him 
should  he  continue  on  the  field  until  the  end  of  the 
war.  The  reader  can  readily  see  that  to  accept  the 
nomination  in  these  circumstances,  was  an  act  of 
great  self-denial.  But  President  Lincoln  signified 
his  desire  for  Garfield  to  enter  congress,  as  a  mem 
ber  of  military  experience  and  skill  was  much 
needed  there.  The  wishes  of  Lincoln  settled  the 
doubts  of  Garfield,  and  he  accepted  the  nomination, 
was  triumphantly  elected,  and  took  his  seat  in  the 
national  house  of  representatives  in  December,  1863, 


TOP  OF  THE  LADDER.  377 

after  two  years  and  three  months  of  service  in  the 
army. 

During  this  time  the  trustees  of  Hiram  Institute 
had  not  abandoned  the  idea  of  his  return  to  the  in 
stitution.  While  a  member  of  the  Ohio  senate  he 
continued  his  connection  with  the  school,  when  the 
senate  was  not  in  session.  One  interesting  item  of 
his  thoroughness  in  teaching  belongs  to  this  part  of 
his  career.  He  was  teaching  a  class  how  to  write 
letters,  and  having  taught  them  how  to  address  dif 
ferent  classes  of  friends  and  relatives,  how  to  super 
scribe  letters,  &c.,  illustrating  the  same  on  the 
blackboard,  he  requested  each  one  to  write  a  letter 
to  him  at  Columbus.  In  due  time  the  letters  were 
written,  and  forwarded.  Subsequently  they  were 
returned  to  the  authors,  corrected. 

During  his  first  two  years  in  congress  his  name 
appeared  on  the  catalogue  of  Hiram  Institute  as 
"Advisory  Principal  and  Lecturer."  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  board  of  trustees  ever  since.  For 
seventeen  years  he  served  his  district  as  national 
representative.  We  have  not  space  for  any  of  the 
brilliant  record  of  those  seventeen  years.  We  can 
only  say,  that  he  became  the  acknowledged  leader 
of  the  national  house  of  representatives ;  the  pride 
of  his  native  state,  Ohio,  and  an  honor  to  the  re 
public. 

His  great  popularity  and  usefulness  as  represent 
ative  very  naturally  suggested  his  name  to  the  Repub 
licans  of  Ohio,  when  a  United  States  Senator  was 
to  be  elected  by  the  legislature  in  January,  1880, 


378  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

to  succeed  Mr.  Thurman.  When  the  subject  was 
opened  to  Garfield,  he  remarked, 

"Just  as  you  please  ;  if  my  friends  think  it  best,  I 
shall  make  no  objection." 

"  We  want  you  should  go  to  Columbus  when  the 
election  is  pending." 

"I  cannot  consent  to  any  such  plan.  I  shall  not 
lift  my  finger  for  the  office.  I  never  sought  an 
office  yet,  except  that  of  janitor  at  Hiram  Institute. 
If  the  people  want  me,  they  will  elect  me." 

"  Very  true,"  urged  his  friends ;  "  it  is  no  engi 
neering  or  finesse  that  we  desire  you  to  do  at  Colum 
bus.  We  only  want  you  to  be  where  your  friends 
can  see  you  and  confer  with  you." 

"And  that  will  be  construed  into  work  for  the 
office,  the  very  appearance  of  which  is  distasteful 
to  me.  I  decline  peremptorily  to  go  to  Columbus." 
This  was  Garfield's  characteristic  decision  and  reply. 

When  the  legislature  assembled  the  feeling  was 
so  strong  for  Garfield  that  all  other  candidates  with 
drew,  and  he  was  nominated  by  acclamation  at  the 
party  caucus,  and  unanimously  elected. 

After  the  election  was  over  he  visited  Columbus, 
and  addressed  both  branches  of  the  legislature  in 
joint  convention.  The  closing  paragraph  of  his  re 
markable  speech  illustrates  the  courage  and  inde 
pendence  of  the  man ;  qualities  that  have  recom 
mended  him  to  the  confidence  and  support  of  the 
people.  He  said, 

"  During  the  twenty  years  that  I  have  been  in 
public  life,  almost  eighteen  of  it  in  the  congress  of 


TOP  OF  THE  LADDER.  379 

the  United  States,  I  have  tried  to  do  one  thing. 
Whether  I  was  mistaken  or  otherwise,  it  has  been 
the  plan  of  my  life  to  follow  my  conviction,  at  what 
ever  personal  cost  to  myself.  I  have  represented 
for  many  years  a  district  in  congress  whose  appro 
bation  I  greatly  desired ;  but  though  it  may  seem, 
perhaps,  a  little  egotistical  to  say  it,  I  yet  desired 
still  more  the  approbation  of  one  person,  and  his 
name  was  Garfield.  He  is  the  only  man  that  I  am 
compelled  to  sleep  with,  and  eat  with,  and  live  with, 
and  die  with  ;  and  if  I  could  not  have  his  appro 
bation  I  should  have  bad  companionship." 

In  view  of  this  last  triumph  President  Hinsdale 
said, 

"He  has  commanded  success.  His  ability,  knowl 
edge,  mastery  of  questions,  generosity  of  nature, 
devotion  to  the  public  good,  and  honesty  of  purpose, 
have  done  the  work.  He  has  never  had  a  political 
'machine.'  He  has  never  forgotten  the  day  of  small 
things.  It  is  difficut  to  see  how  a  political  triumph 
could  be  more  complete  or  more  gratifying  than  his 
election  to  the  senate.  No  bargains,  no  f  slate,'  no 
'grocery,'  at  Columbus.  He  did  not  even  go  to  the 
capital  city.  Such  things  are  inspiring  to  those  who 
think  politics  in  a  bad  way.  He  is  a  man  of  posi 
tive  convictions,  freely  uttered.  Politically,  he  may 
be  called  a  '  man  of  war  ; '  and  yet  few  men,  or  none, 
begrudge  him  his  triumph.  Democrats  vied  with 
Republicans  the  other  day,  in  Washington,  in  their 
congratulations  ;  some  of  them  were  as  anxious  for 
his  election  as  any  Republican  could  be.  It  is  said 


380  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

that  he  will  go  to  the  senate  without  an  enemy  on 
either  side  of  the  chamber.  These  things  are  hon 
orable  to  all  parties.  They  show  that  manhood  is 
more  than  party." 

And  so  James,  the  hero  of  our  tale,  stands  upon 
the  highest  round  of  the  ladder  of  fame,  save  one ! 

The  final  step  to  the  top  of  the  ladder  followed 
quickly ;  so  quickly  that  he  had  not  time  to  take 
his  seat  in  the  United  States  senate.  He  had  but 
just  planted  his  feet  upon  the  highest  round  of  the 
ladder,  save  one,  when  the  call  to  come  up  higher  — 
to  the  top  —  was  heard  from  Maine  to  the  Golden 
Gate. 

The  National  Republican  Convention,  five  months 
later,  assembled  to  nominate  a  candidate  for  the 
presidency  of  the  United  States.  James  A.  Garfield 
was  a  member  of  that  convention,  and  his  magnetic 
presence  was  the  occasion  of  much  enthusiasm  and 
applause.  Although  he  was  not  a  candidate  for  the 
position,  whenever  he  arose  to  speak,  or  moved 
about  in  the  vast  audience,  he  was  greeted  with 
hearty  cheers.  He  was  evidently  en  rapport  with 
the  crowded  assembly.  After  thirty-four  ineffectual 
ballots  for  a  candidate,  about  fifty  members  of  the 
convention  cast  their  votes  for  James  A.  Garfield  in 
the  thirty-fifth  ballot.  The  announcement  created 
a  furor  of  excitement,  as  it  indicated  a  breaking  up 
of  the  factions,  and  a  probable  union  of  all  upon 
the  most  popular  Republican  in  the  convention.  In 
stantly  the  delegates  of  one  state  seized  their  bannei 
with  a  shout,  (the  delegates  of  each  state  sat  to- 


TOP  OF  THE  LADDER.  381 

gether,  their  banner  bearing  the  name  of  their  state,) 
bore  it  proudly  forward,  and  placed  it  over  the  head 
of  the  aforesaid  patriot  and  statesman,  followed  by 
other  delegations,  and  still  others,  until  seven  hun 
dred  delegates  upon  the  floor,  and  fifteen  thousand 
spectators  in  the  galleries,  joined  in  the  remarkable 
demonstration,  and  cheer  upon  cheer  rent  the  air,  as 
the  banners,  one  after  another,  were  placed  in  tri 
umph  over  the  head  of  their  hero,  declaring  to  the 
world,  without  the  use  of -language,  that  James  A. 
Garfield  was  the  choice  of  the  convention  for  Presi 
dent  of  the  United  States ;  the  magnificent  ovation 
terminating  by  the  several  bands  striking  up  "  Rally 
Round  the  Flag,"  fifteen  thousand  voices  joining  in 
the  chorus,  and  a  section  of  artillery  outside  con 
tributing  its  thundering  bass  to  the  outburst  of  joy. 
It  was  a  wild,  tumultuous  scene  of  excitement,  the 
spontaneous  outburst  of  patriotic  devotion  to  the 
country,  such  as  never  transpired  in  any  political 
assembly  before,  and,  probably,  never  will  again. 
It  was  something  more,  and  different  from  the  usual 
excitement  and  passion  of  political  assemblies ;  it 
was  an  inspiration  of  the  hour,  begotten  and  moved 
by  more  than  mortal  impulse, — the  interposition  of 
Him  who  has  guided  and  saved  our  country  from 
its  birth  I 

That  spontaneous  burst  of  enthusiam  really  nomi 
nated  General  Garfield  for  President.  The  thirty- 
sixth  ballot,  that  followed  immediately,  was  only  a 
method  of  registering  the  decision  of  that  supreme 
moment. 


382  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

The  news  of  General  Garfield's  nomination  flew 
with  the  speed  of  electricity  over  the  land,  creating 
unbounded  joy  from  Plymouth  Rock  to  the  Pacific 
Slope.  The  disappointments  and  animosities  of  a 
heated  contest  vanished  at  once  before  the  con 
ceded  worth  and  popularity  of  the  candidate.  Par 
tisans  forgot  the  men  of  their  choice,  in  their  glad 
ness  that  union  and  harmony  signalized  the  close  of 
the  most  remarkable  political  convention  on  record. 

HE    WAS    ELECTED    PRESIDENT    OF     THE    l/NITED 

STATES    ON    THE    SECOND     DAY    OF     NOVEMBER, 

EIGHTEEN    HUNDRED    AND    EIGHTY. 

He  carried  twenty  of  the  thirty-eight  states,  secur 
ing  213  of  the  369  electors.  In  his  native  town  of 
Orange  every  ballot  was  cast  for  him. 

The  time  between  the  election  and  inauguration 
of  General  Garfield  was  characterized  by  good 
feeling  and  general  hopefulness.  The  almost  unpre 
cedented  excitement  of  the  political  campaign  sub 
sided  into  national  tranquillity  and  peace,  in  which 
the  two  great  political  parties  seemed  to  be  more 
harmonious  than  ever.  Mr.  Garfield's  popularity 
won  the  esteem  of  leading  men  who  opposed  his 
election,  and  some  of  them  publicly  declared  their 
entire  confidence  in  the  man  and  their  profound 
respect  for  his  great  talents.  The  striking  change 
from  the  bitterness  of  an  exciting  political  campaign, 
for  two  or  three  months  previous  to  the  election,  to 
the  cheerful  acquiescence  in  the  result,  and  ihe  gen 
eral  good-will  towards  the  President-elect,  was  an 
event  worthy  of  record. 


XXIV. 
IN  THE  WHITE   HOUSE. 

|HE  Fourth  of  March,  1881  —  the  day  of 
the  inauguration  of  General  Garfield  as 
President  of  the  United  States  —  will  be 
remembered  for  its  bleak,  uncomfortable, 
stormy  morning,  threatening  to  spoil  the  prepara 
tions  for  a  grand  military  and  civic  display.  About 
ten  o'clock,  however,  the  storm  subsided,  and  the 
clouds  partially  broke.  The  city  was  crowded  with 
visitors  from  different  sections  of  the  country,  among 
them  many  civic  organizations  and  military  compa 
nies  which  had  come  to  join  in  the  procession.  The 
wide-spread  interest  in  the  occasion  was  due  to  the 
fame  of  the  President-elect  and  the  era  of  good- 
feeling  that  succeeded  his  election.  Not  only  his 
personal  friends,  but  many  others  in  every  part  of 
the  land,  exerted  themselves  to  make  the  occasion 
memorable,  beyond  all  similar  demonstrations.  Gen 
eral  Garfield's  college  classmates  were  there,  to  the 
number  of  twenty,  to  congratulate  him  upon  his 
remarkable  public  career.  On  the  evening  of 

383 


384  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

March  third,  they  tendered  to  him  a  reception  at 
Wormley's  Hotel  in  Washington,  renewing  old 
friendships  around  the  festive  board,  each  member 
of  the  class  feeling  himself  honored  in  the  high 
honor  the  country  had  bestowed  upon  his  gifted 
classmate.  In  response  to  a  toast  on  that  occasion, 
General  Garfield  said  :  — 

"  Classmates :  To  me  there  is  something  exceed 
ingly  pathetic  in  this  reunion.  In  every  eye  before 
me  I  see  the  light  of  friendship  and  love,  and  I  am 
sure  it  is  reflected  back  to  each  one  of  you  from  my 
inmost  heart.  For  twenty-two  years,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  the  last  few  days,  I  have  been  in  the 
public  service.  To-night  I  am  a  private  citizen. 
To-morrow  I  shall  be  called  to  assume  new  respon 
sibilities,  and  on  the  day  after,  the  broadside  of  the 
world's  wrath  will  strike.  It  will  strike  hard.  I 
know  it,  and  you  will  know  it.  Whatever  may 
happen  to  me  in  the  future,  I  shall  feel  that  I  can 
always  fall  back  upon  the  shoulders  and  hearts  of 
the  class  of  '56  for  their  approval  of  that  which  is 
right,  and  for  their  charitable  judgment  wherein  I 
may  come  short  in  the  discharge  of  my  public  duties. 
You  may  write  down  in  your  books  now  the  largest 
percentage  of  blunders  which  you  think  I  will  be 
likely  to  make,  and  you  will  be  sure  to  find  in  the 
end  that  I  have  made  more  than  you  have  calculated 
—  many  more. 

"  This  honor  comes  to  me  unsought.  I  have  never 
had  the  presidential  fever — not  even  fora  day  ;  nor 
have  I  it  to-night.  I  have  no  feeling  of  elation  in 


IN    THE    WHITE   HOUSE.  385 

view  of  the  position  I  am  called  upon  to  fill.  I 
would  thank  God  were  I  to-day  a  free  lance  in  the 
House  or  the  Senate.  But  it  is  not  to  be,  and  I  will 
go  forward  to  meet  the  responsibilities  and  discharge 
the  duties  that  are  before  me  with  all  the  firmness 
and  ability  I  can  command.  I  hope  you  will  be  able 
conscientiously  to  approve  my  conduct ;  and  when 
I  return  to  private  life,  I  wish  you  to  give  me  another 
class-meeting." 

The  ceremony  of  inauguration  was  arranged  for 
twelve  o'clock,  noon.  Before  that  hour  arrived, 
more  than  a  hundred  thousand  people  thronged  the 
streets  of  the  city  to  witness  the  unusual  display. 
Every  State  of  the  Union  was  represented  in  the 
seething  multitude ;  and  hundreds  of  public  men 
were  present — senators,  representatives,  governors, 
judges,  lawyers,  clergymen,  and  authors.  A  large 
number  of  veterans  of  the  late  war  were  there  to 
honor  their  beloved  comrade  of  other  days  who  was 
going  up  higher. 

The  ceremony  was  to  take  place  at  the  Capitol, 
and  preparations  were  made  at  the  White  House, 
whence  the  presidential  party  would  be  escorted. 

At  half-past  ten  o'clock  a  chorus  of  bugles  an 
nounced  the  arrival  of  President  Hayes  and  Presi 
dent-elect  Garfield  from  the  hotel,  who  were  received 
in  the  ante-room  by  Mr.  Pendleton,  and  for  a  brief 
moment  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  and  other  invited 
friends  in  the  House  greeted  each  other  in  the  red 
room.  Col.  Casey  then  announced  that  everything 
was  ready,  and  assigned  the  party  to  carriages  in 


386  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

the  following  order :  First,  Gen.  Garfield's  mother 
and  wife,  Mrs.  Hayes,  Mollie  Garfield  and  Fanny 
Hayes ;  second,  Mrs.  Dr.  Davis,  Mrs.  Herron  of 
Cincinnati,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andrews  and  Miss  Bui- 
lard  of  Cleveland ;  third,  Mrs.  Mason  and  three 
daughters  of  Cleveland  ;  fourth,  Harry,  Jimmy,  and 
Irving  Garfield  and  Scott  Hayes;  fifth,  Messrs. 
Swaim  and  Rockwell,  Mrs.  Deschler  and  Mrs. 
Greene  of  Cleveland ;  sixth,  Miss  Cook,  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Noble  of  Columbia.  A  magnificent  four-in- 
hand  of  bays  then  drove  up,  drawing  an  open 
barouche,  into  which  stepped  President  Hayes  and 
Gen.  Garfield,  accompanied  by  Senators  Anthony 
and  Bayard,  who  were  driven  off  a  short  distance, 
and  were  followed  by  a  carriage  containing  Vice- 
President-elect  Arthur  and  Senator  Pendleton,  drawn 
by  a  beautiful  four-in-hand  of  grays.  The  presi 
dential  party  was  halted  an  instant  while  the  Cleve 
land  troop  filed  in  ahead,  and  the  Cleveland  Grays 
fell  in  immediately  in  the  rear.  As  they  passed 
down  the  avenue  they  were  greeted  with  cheers  and 
waving  of  handkerchiefs  from  the  assembled  thou 
sands,  who,  by  this  time,  lined  every  avenue  from 
end  to  end. 

At  the  Capitol  an  imposing  scene  was  presented. 
After  the  presidential  party  had  filed  into  the  senate 
chamber,  the  gorgeous  diplomatic  corps,  headed  by 
Sir  Edward  Thornton,  preceded  by  Secretary  Evarts, 
entered  and  occupied  the  best  seats  on  the  right  of 
the  Vice-President.  All  the  legations  in  Washington 
were  represented.  All  appeared  in  court  dress, 


IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  387 

except  the  Mexican  and  the  Chilian  legations,  who 


were  in  evening  costume. 


The  Supreme  Court  then  appeared  in  robes  and 
took  front  seats  reserved  for  it.  Messrs.  Waite, 
Harlan,  Field,  Miller,  Bradley,  and  Woods,  and 
ex-Judges  Strong  and  Swayne  were  present. 

The  procession  was  formed,  with  President  Hayes 
and  President-elect  Garfield  at  the  head,  and  pro 
ceeded  through  the  corridor  and  rotunda  to  the  east 
front,  where  the  platform  was  erected  from  which 
the  vast  assemblage  would  listen  to  the  inaugural 
address.  When  the  dignitaries  with  their  families 
were  finally  arranged,  silence  was  maintained  for  a 
few  moments  that  the  group  might  be  photographed. 
Then  Mr.  Garfield  stepped  to  the  front  and  delivered 
his  noble  inaugural  address,  in  tones  so  clear  and 
eloquent  that  the  multitude,  even  in  the  distance, 
heard.  Before  he  closed  his  address  the  clouds 
broke  above  him,  and  pure  sunlight  fell  in  benedic 
tion  upon  his  head.  As  he  concluded,  Judge  Waite 
of  the  Supreme  Court  presented  the  Bible  to  him  on 
which  the  presidents  are  sworn,  and  proceeded  to 
achninister  the  oath.  At  the  conclusion,  President 
Garfield  reverently  kissed  the  sacred  volume,  and 
returned  it  to  the  judge.  Then,  turning  to  his  aged 
mother,  who  had  wept  tears  of  joy  during  the  deliv 
ery  of  his  address,  he  imprinted  a  kiss  upon  her 
cheek,  and  another  upon  that  of  his  wife,  the  two 
persons,  next  to  himself,  most  deeply  interested  in 
the  transaction  of  that  memorable  hour.  The 
president  and  his  attendants  withdrew  amidst  the 


388  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

wildest  demonstrations  of  joy  by  the  concourse  of 
people. 

Immediately  followed  the  imposing  military  and 
civic  procession  which  was  said  to  be  more  elaborate 
and  grand  than  anything  of  the  kind  ever  witnessed 
in  the  capital  of  the  nation.  It  was  three  hours 
passing  a  given  point,  and  was  reviewed  by  Presi 
dent  Garfield  from  a  stand  erected  in  front  of  the 
presidential  mansion. 

An  eye-witness  describes  the  scene  as  follows  :  — 

"  One  hundred  thousand  people  stood  in  Pennsyl 
vania  avenue,  between  the  Treasury  and  the  Capitol 
grounds,  and  gave  acclaim  to  Garfield  as  he  passed. 
The  buildings  were  splendidly  decorated.  There 
was  a  flag  and  a  dozen  fluttering  handkerchiefs  at 
every  window.  All  vehicles  were  excluded  from 
the  avenue,  and  the  people  hemmed  in  the  procession 
ten  deep  on  each  side. 

"  The  route  was  around  the  south  side  of  the  Cap 
itol  to  Pennsylvania  avenue,  thence  to  the  Treasury 
department,  and  so  on  past  the  White  House.  During 
the  time  between  twelve  and  half-past  one  o'clock, 
Pennsylvania  avenue  presented  a  remarkable  sight, 
either  from  the  Treasury  department  or  the  Capitol. 
The  crowd  was  continuous  from  First  to  Fifteenth 
street,  and,  as  the  time  for  the  procession  to  move 
approached,  the  crowd  increased  so  that  there  seemed 
hardly  room  for  the  military  column  to  enter.  The 
movement  was  promptly  at  one  o'clock,  the  pro 
gramme  being  carried  out  well.  The  regular  troops 
led  the  way  with  Sherman  at  their  head.  Behind 


IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  389 

Sherman  were  three  four-horse  carriages,  contain 
ing  Presidents  Garfield  and  Hayes,  Vice-Presidents 
Arthur  and  Wheeler,  and  Senators  Pendleton  and 
Bayard.  In  addition  to  the  Cleveland  troop,  Gen. 
Garfield  was  attended  by  the  Columbia  Commandery 
of  Knights  Templars  of  this  city,  of  wrhich  he  is  a 
member.  When  the  head  of  the  procession  reached 
the  Treasury  department,  the  avenue,  for  its  whole 
mile  length,  was  literally  packed  with  people.  There 
was  a  pause  at  this  point  to  enable  the  president  to 
leave  the  column  and  proceed  to  the  grand  stand  in 
front  of  the  White  House,  where  he  stood  hours  in 
witnessing  the  passage  of  the  great  military  and  civic 
concourse,  which  was  over  three  hours  in  passing  a 
given  point.  The  route  was  then  continued  up  Penn 
sylvania  avenue  to  Washington  circle,  along  K  street 
to  Vermont  avenue,  and  past  the  Thomas  statue 
down  Massachusetts  avenue  to  Mount Vernon  square, 
where  the  procession  finally  dispersed." 

After  the  review,  President  Garfield  gave  a  recep 
tion  to  the  Williams'  Alumni  Association  of  Wash 
ington,  and  visiting  alumni,  in  the  East  Room  of  the 
Executive  Mansion.  Over  fifty  were  present,  twenty 
of  whom  were  the  President's  classmates  whom  he 
met  on  the  previous  evening.  Ex-President  Hopkins 
was  among  the  number,  and  he  was  selected  to 
present  the  congratulations  of  the  alumni  to  the 
president.  The  latter  responded  with  much  emotion 
to  Dr.  Hopkins'  words  of  confidence  and  esteem ; 
and  his  brief  but  eloquent  speech  will  long  be 
remembered  by  the  sons  of  his  Alma  Mater. 


390  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

The  day  closed  with  a  costly  display  of  fireworks, 
illuminations,  and  other  demonstrations  of  general 
joy;  and  President  Garfield  and  his  family  were 
occupants  of  the  White  House. 

Perhaps  no  president  ever  assumed  the  duties  of 
his  high  office  under  more  favorable  auspices  than 
Mr.  Garfield.  The  announcement  of  his  cabinet 
gave  general  satisfaction ;  and  the  citizens  from 
Maine  to  California  appeared  to  feel  that  he  would 
be  president,  and  not  some  one  else.  His  adminis 
tration  thus  began  favorably,  with  the  expectations 
of  the  people  on  tiptoe,  and  their  confidence  as 
honest  as  their  hopefulness.  The  brilliant  record 
of  his  public  life,  and  even  the  remarkable  record  of 
his  youth  and  early  manhood,  were  well  known 
throughout  the  country  ;  and  upon  these  the  enthusi 
asm  of  his  constituents  and  others  rested.  That 
personal  magnetism  which  drew  the  associates  of 
his  early  life  to  him,  and  the  admirers  of  his  later 
life,  in  public  and  in  private,  seemed  to  attract  the 
hearts  of  American  citizens,  from  the  moment  he 
became  the  Chief  Executive. 

The  opening  of  his  administration  was  somewhat 
embarrassed  by  both  the  action  and  non-action  of  a 
faction  in  Congress,  the  leaders  of  which  were  not 
inclined  to  harmony  nor  justice.  There  was  evi 
dently  a  purpose  to  block  the  wheels  of  successful 
legislation,  if  possible,  or  to  create  friction  that 
might  wear  and  tear  the  administration  party.  But 
none  of  these  things  moved  the  president.  He  con 
tinued  in  the  even  tenor  of  his  ways,  putting  hi? 


IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  391 

administration  into  running  order,  keeping  his  own 
counsels,  and  ruling  honestly  and  faithfully. 

There  was  one  trouble,  however,  which  he 
encountered  early  in  his  administration,  and  it  was 
all  the  more  annoying  because  it  arose  within  his 
own  party.  President  Garfield  did  not  believe  in  a 
custom  of  the  United  States  Senate  called  "Senato 
rial  courtesy,"  —  the  custom  of  allowing  senators 
to  designate  who  should  be  appointed  to  fill  certain 
offices  in  their  respective  states  ;  and,  in  the  exercise 
of  that  manly  independence  for  which  he  was  ever 
distinguished,  he  resolved  to  ignore  the  custom. 
Therefore,  instead  of  consulting  Senator  Conkling 
of  New  York,  respecting  the  nomination  of  a  man  to 
fill  a  certain  important  office  in  that  state,  he  made 
the  appointment  himself,  according  to  the  require 
ments  of  the  Constitution.  This  act  was  construed 
as  a  mortal  offence  by  Mr.  Conkling,  and  those  who 
moved  at  his  beck.  At  once  there  was  war  against 
the  administration.  Mr.  Conkling  appeared  to  think 
that  the  president  meant  to  challenge  him  to  a  polit 
ical  contest ;  and  he  accepted  the  challenge.  He 
resorted  to  extreme  measures  to  prevent  the  confir 
mation  of  the  appointment  the  president  had  made. 
Parliamentary  tactics,  political  manoeuvring,  all- 
sufficient  threats,  and  sundry  other  measures  were 
resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  defeating  the  adminis 
tration  in  this  thing ;  but  all  to  no  purpose.  The 
hearts  of  a  majority  of  the  senators,  and  the  hearts 
of  the  people  generally,  were  with  the  president. 
They  believed  that  he  ought  to  assume  the  right  and 


392  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

power  vested  in  him  by  the  Constitution,  as  the  chief 
magistrate,  instead  of  yielding  to  a  mere  custom 
that  existed  outside  of  the  laws  of  the  land ;  and 
they  honored  him  for  his  independent  and  honest 
action.  After  the  lapse  of  several  weeks,  in  which 
Senator  Conkling  had  an  opportunity  to  rally  his 
forces  and  train  them  to  organized  opposition,  the 
nomination  by  the  president  was  confirmed.  In  the 
mean  time  Mr.  Conkling  had  sent  his  resignation  to 
the  Governor  of  New  York,  and  his  associate,  Mr. 
Platt,  did  the  same ;  evidently  thinking  that  the 
legislature,  then  in  session,  would  immediately 
return  them.  His  resignation  created  much  sur 
prise,  both  among  the  friends  and  foes  of  Mr. 
Conkling,  since  it  was  childish  rather  than,  states 
manlike.  Instead  of  aiding  his  unpopular  cause, 
the  act  damaged  it  terribly.  Many  of  his  friends 
denounced  it  as  unwise  and  puerile. 

A  contest  in  the  Legislature  of  New  York  was 
inaugurated  at  once,  —  perhaps  the  most  bitter  and 
acrimonious  contest  ever  waged  between  party  fac 
tions  in  a  state  legislature.  When  the  members 
were  elected,  a  large  majority  of  the  Republicans 
were  the  friends  of  Mr.  Conkling;  and  this 'fact, 
doubtless,  caused  him  to  feel  confident  that  his 
action  in  opposing  the  administration  would  be 
promptly  endorsed  by  his  speedy  return  to  the 
Senate.  In  this,  however,  he  was  wofully  disap 
pointed.  The  opposition  to  his  re-election  was 
decided  and  strong  in  the  outset,  because  the  popu 
lar  feeling  sided  with  President  Garfield.  This 


IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  303 

opposition  grew,  also,  from  week  to  week,  as  the 
contest  continued  and  strengthened,  notwithstand 
ing  that  Mr.  Conkling  and  his  friends,  including 
Vice-President  Arthur,  were  on  the  ground,  manip 
ulating  and  controlling  affairs  as  far  as  possible. 
Mr.  Conkling  had  been  a  man  of  wonderful  influ 
ence  and  power,  both  in  the  Legislature  of  New 
York  and  out  of  it ;  and,  for  this  reason,  his  signal 
discomfiture  proved  what  a  strong  hold  President 
Garfield  had  upon  the  people.  They  believed  in  his 
act  of  opposition  to  "  Senatorial  courtesy  ;"  and  they 
finally  recorded  their  convictions  by  the  ignominious 
defeat  of  the  senator  who  arrayed  himself  against  it. 


XXV. 

ASSASSINATION. 

JHILE  the  contest  was  going  on  in  the  New 
York  Legislature  over  Senator  Conkling's 
re-election,  an  attempt  was  made  upon  the 
President's  life,  which  startled  and  shocked 
the  nation.  He  had  arranged  a  journey  to  New 
England,  for  the  purpose  of  attending  the  Com 
mencement  at  Williams  College,  Williamstown, 
Mass.,  the  annual  meeting  of  the  American  Insti 
tute  of  Instruction  at  St.  Albans,  Vt.,  extending  his 
trip  into  Maine,  where  he  would  be  the  guest  of  Mr. 
Elaine,  Secretary  of  State  ;  thence  into  New  Hamp 
shire,  in  response  to  an  invitation  by  the  Legislature 
of  that  state,  then  in  session ;  returning  through 
Boston  to  Washington  ;  hoping  thereby  to  recruit 
his  somewhat  exhausted  energies  by  a  brief  respite 
from  official  duties.  On  Saturday  morning,  July  2, 
he  left  the  Executive  Mansion  at  a  few  minutes  past 
nine  o'clock,  in  his  carriage  with  Secretary  Elaine, 
for  the  Baltimore  and  Potomac  Railroad  Depot. 
At  twenty  minutes  past  nine  o'clock  he  entered  the 
depot,  arm  in  arm  with  Mr.  Blaine,  when  two  pistol- 

394 


ASSASSINATION.  395 

shots  were  fired  in  quick  succession,  the  first  one 
sending  a  ball  through  the  right  coat-sleeve  of  the 
president,  doing  no  damage,  the  second  one  driving 
a  ball  deep  into  his  body  above  the  third  rib.  The 
unexpected  shot  well-nigh  paralyzed  the  bystanders. 
Mr.  Elaine  turned  to  seize  the  assassin,  but  found 
him  already  in  the  hands  of  an  officer.  As  he 
turned  back,  the  president  sank  heavily  upon  the 
floor,  and  the  fearful  tidings  spread  through  the 
city  :  "  The  president  has  been  assassinated!  "  The 
telegraphic  wires  took  up  the  terrible  news  and  con 
veyed  it  over  the  country,  startling  every  town, 
village  and  hamlet  as  they  never  were  startled 
except  by  the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln. 
By  twelve  o'clock  the  entire  country  was  apprised 
of  the  appalling  calamity,  except  in  sections  beyond 
the  reach  of  telegraphs  and  telephones.  The  dread 
ful  news  flashed  over  the  Atlantic  cable,  astounding 
and  affecting  Europeans  almost  as  sensibly  as  it  did 
Americans.  Surprise  and  grief  were  universal. 
"It  was  a  marvellous  tribute,"  said  George  William 
Curtis.  "  In  Europe  it  was  respect  for  a  powerful 
state ;  in  America  it  was  affection  for  a  simple  and 
manly  character."  The  deed  was  done  "in  the  most 
peaceful  and  prosperous  moment  that  this  country 
has  known  for  a  half  century,"  as  Mr.  Curtis  wrote, 
"  and  the  shot  was  fired  absolutely  at  a  man  without 
personal  enemies,  and  a  president  whom  even  his 
political  opponents  respect."  The  manifestations  of 
unfeigned  sorrow  were  gauged  by  this  remarkable 
fact.  The  South  seemed  to  vie  with  the  North  in 


396  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

profound  grief  over  the  fearful  crime  and  heartfelt 
sympathy  for  the  illustrious  sufferer.  In  their  dire 
extremity  and  deep  sorrow,  Christian  men  and 
women,  led  by  the  ministers  of  religion,  gathered  in 
places  of  prayer,  to  invoke,  upon  their  knees  and  in 
tears,  the  interposition  of  God,  to  save  and  restore 
their  beloved  ruler.  Around  Christian  hearthstones 
knelt  family  groups,  tearful  and  hushed  as  if  a  great 
personal  sorrow  were  theirs,  to  join  in  fervent  sup 
plication  to  God  for  the  preservation  of  the  presi 
dent's  life.  Perhaps  so  much  united,  earnest  prayer 
for  one  man,  ascending  from  even  the  remotest  ham 
let  of  the  nation,  was  never  offered  at  the  throne  of 
grace. 

But  to  return  to  the  wounded  president.  Phy 
sicians  and  surgeons  were  speedily  summoned  ;  and, 
within  an  hour,  he  was  removed  to  the  White  House 
in  an  extremely  prostrated  and  critical  condition.  The 
presidential  party,  consisting  of  Secretaries  Lincoln, 
Windom  and  Hunt,  and  Postmaster-General  James, 
with  their  wives,  were  already  seated  in  the  special 
car  provided  for  them,  when  the  cry  reached 
them,  "  The  president  is  shot."  At  first  they  could 
not  credit  the  tidings ;  the  crime  was  too  awful  to  be 
believed.  As  soon  as  they  recovered  from  the 
shock,  however,  and  were  really  convinced  that  an 
attempt  had  been  made  to  assassinate  the  president, 
they  abandoned  the  car  and  repaired  to  the  executive 
mansion,  to  render  all  possible  assistance. 

The  president  was  still  conscious  while  prostrate 
upon  the  floor  at  the  depot,  and  fearing  that  the 


ASSASSINA  TION.  397 

intelligence  of  his  injury  might  overcome  his  wife  in 
her  feeble  state  of  health,  he  dictated  to  Colonel 
Rockwell,  who  was  at  his  side,  the  following  dis 
patch  to  her  at  Long  Branch : 

Mrs.  Garfield,  Elberon,  New  Jersey  : 

The  president  wishes  me  to  say  to  you  from  him  that  he  has 
been  seriously  hurt  —  how  seriously  he  cannot  yet  say.  He  is 
himself,  and  hopes  you  will  come  to  him  soon.  He  sends  his 
]ove  to  you.  A.  F.  ROCKWELL. 

It  should  be  stated  that  Mrs.  Garfield  was  recov 
ering  from  a  severe  sickness  of  several  weeks,  and  a 
few  days  before  the  president  accompanied  her  to 
Long  Branch  to  hasten  her  restoration.  Her  life 
was  despaired  of  for  a  time,  and  her  husband's 
watchful  and  tender  care  of  her,  night  and  day, 
when  her  life  hung  quivering  in  the  balance,  in  con 
nection  with  official  duties,  made  a  heavy  draft  upon 
his  strength. 

By  the  time  the  ambulance  reached  the  White 
House,  soldiers  from  the  garrison  at  the  Arsenal 
were  performing  sentinel  duty  there,  that  the  police 
men  might  be  at  their  respective  posts  of  duty  in  the 
city,  where  the  excitement  was  intense.  A  corres 
pondent  of  the  New  York  Times,  who  was  an  eye 
witness,  said,  that  when  the  president  "  was  ten 
derly  lifted  from  the  vehicle  with  the  pallor  of  death 
stamped  upon  his  countenance,  glancing  up  to  the 
window,  he  saw  some  familiar  faces,  and  with  a  smile 
which  those  who  saw  it  will  never  forget,  he  raised 
his  right  hand  and  gave  the  military  salute,  which 
seemed  to  say,  '  Long  live  the  republic.'" 


398  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


Soon  after  the  president  was  laid  upon  his  bed  in 
the  presidential  mansion,  his  nervous  prostration 
passed  away  and  he  became  composed  and  cheerful* 
greeting  members  of  his  cabinet,  and  other  intimate 
friends  present,  with  a  cordial  pressure  of  the  hand 
and  words  of  cheer.  He  was  so  much  like  himself, 
genial,  calm  and  hopeful,  that  both  friends  and  phy 
sicians  thought  it  was"  the  harbinger  of  recovery. 
Once  he  said  to  Mr.  Elaine,  who  was  sitting  at  his 
bedside,  "  What  motive  do  you  think  that  man  could 
have  in  trying  to  assassinate  me?"  Mr.  Blaine 
answered,  "I  do  not  know,  Mr.  President.  He  says 
he  had  no  motive.  He  must  be  insane."  The  pres 
ident  responded  to  this  with  a  smile,  "  I  suppose  he 
thought  it  would  be  a  glorious  thing  to  emulate  the 
pirate  chief."  At  another  time  his  son  James  was 
sobbing  at  his  bedside,  when  he  addressed  him  lov 
ingly,  "Don't  be  alarmed,  Jimmy ;  the  upper  story 
is  all  right ;  it  is  only  the  hull  that  is  a  little  dam 
aged."  He  was  somewhat  impatient  for  the  arrival 
of  his  wife,  as  were  all  the  friends  present,  and 
when  Colonel  Rockwell  announced  that  she  had 
left  Long  Branch  on  a  special  train,  he  responded 
with  much  emotion,  "  God  bless  the  dear  woman  !  I 
hope  the  shock  will  not  break  her  down."  Dr. 
Bliss  stated,  that  often,  during  the  afternoon,  he 
became  even  jocular,  conversing  more  than  the 
physicians  thought  for  his  good,  but  doing  it, 
evidently,  to  encourage  the  depressed  friends  around 
him.  He  told  Dr.  Bliss  that  he  desired  to  be  kept 
accurately  informed  about  his  condition.  "  Conceal 


ASS  A  SSINA  TION.  399 

nothing  from  me,"  he  said,  "  for,  remember,  I  am  not 
afraid  to  die."  About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
the  evidence  of  internal  hemorrhage  became  unmis 
takable,  and  it  was  feared  he  might  not  live  until 
Mrs.  Garfield  arrived.  Dr.  Bliss  and  his  medical 
associates  were  making  an  examination,  when  he 
inquired  what  the  prospects  were.  "Are  they  bad, 
doctor?  Don't  be  afraid;  tell  me  frankly.  I  am 
ready  for  the  worst."  "Mr.  President,"  answered 
Dr.  B.,  "your  condition  is  extremely  critical.  I  do 
not  think  you  can  live  many  hours."  The  president 
calmly  and  seriously  responded,  "God's  will  be 
done,  doctor !  I  am  ready  to  go  if  my  time  has 
come." 

The  dispatch  of  the  president  to  his  wife,  dictated 
at  the  d£pot,  did  not  disclose  the  nature  of  the 
wound.  Other  dispatches  to  other  parties  advised 
keeping  her  in  ignorance  of  the  real  condition  of  her 
husband.  But  when  Judge- Advocate-General  Svvaim 
of  the  army,  who  was  at  the  Elberon  House,  Long 
Branch,  received  a  telegram  in  advance  of  that  sent 
by  the  president,  he  approached  Mrs.  Garfield  with 
the  design  of  partially  breaking  the  news  only,  and 
starting  her  off  as  speedily  as  possible  to  Washing 
ton.  But  the  moment  he  entered  the  room  and 
drew  near  to  her,  she  inquired,  with  apparent 
anxiety,  "  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  as  if  she  read  bad 
news  in  his  countenance.  "The  president  has 
met  with  an  accident,"  he  answered.  "  Is  he 
dead  ?"  Mrs.  Garfield  responded  at  once.  ff  No  ! '' 
was  all  the  answer  he  could  make  before  she 


400  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

inquired,  "  What  was  the  accident?"  "I  think 
he  was  shot,"  replied  General  Swaim.  "  I  think 
he  must  have  been  fooling  with  a  pistol,  and  doubt 
less  he  shot  himself.  I  can't  think  it  is  anything 
very  serious."  Mrs.  Garfield  said,  with  animation, 
as  if  suspecting  that  he  was  concealing  the  truth,  "It 
is  impossible  that  he  could  have  shot  himself.  He 
has  been  shot.  Tell  me  the  truth."  Seeing  that  it 
was  useless  to  evade  her  questions,  Judge  Swaim 
told  her  the  story  so  far  as  he  knew  it.  Mrs.  Gar- 
field  received  the  truth  with  the  composure  of  a  true 
Christian,  and  at  once  gave  orders  to  her  attendants 
about  packing.  General  Swaim  said,  "No  executive 
officer  of  a  ship  could  have  prepared  for  action  more 
speedily  and  directly  than  did  Mrs.  Garfield  prepare 
for  her  departure  to  Washington." 

A  special  train  started  with  her  at  12.30;  and  but 
for  an  accident  twenty  miles  from  Washington  she 
would  have  been  with  her  husband  at  six  o'clock. 
As  it  was,  going  at  the  rate  of  from  forty  to  fifty 
miles  an  hour,  she  was  at  the  White  House  before 
seven  o'clock.  Her  excitement  and  protracted  fast 
caused  her  to  partially  faint,  as  her  son  Harry  and 
other  friends  helped  her  from  the  carriage  and  up 
the  steps ;  and  it  was  thought  best  for  her  to  take 
some  tea  and  food  before  meeting  her  husband.  But 
before  she  accomplished  this  purpose,  word  was 
brought  to  Colonel  Rockwell,  who  had  accompanied 
her  to  the  dining-hall,  that  the  president  was  fast 
sinking,  and  Mrs.  Garfield  must  hurry  to  him  at 
once.  The  president  had  repeatedly  asked,  during 


ASSASSINATION.  4Oi 

the  afternoon,  "  What  time  is  it  ?  "  "  Do  you  know 
where  the  train  is  now  ?  "  "  How  long  before  my 
wife  will  reach  here  ? "  And  when  the  carriage 

o 

drove  to  the  door,  hearing  it,  he  remarked,  "That's 
rny  wife."  Evidently  he  thought  that  a  very  narrow 
margin  of  time  was  left  for  what  might  prove  their 
final  meeting. 

c? 

It  was  clear  that  Mrs.  Garfield  summoned  all  her 
force  of  character  to  enable  her  to  meet  her  husband 
with  a  cheerful  and  hopeful  heart.  It  was  evident, 
also,  that  he  did  the  same.  The  room  was  cleared, 
physicians  and  all  attendants  going  out,  that  Mrs. 
Garfield  and  her  children  might  meet  him  alone. 
Their  interview  lasted  fifteen  minutes,  when  phy 
sicians  and  attendants  were  readmitted.  The  com 
munion  of  loving  hearts  in  those  fifteen  minutes  is 
known  only- to  them  and  their  God.  The  history  of 
it  never  was  printed.  No  reporter  ever  presumed 
to  lift  the  veil,  and  divulge  the  secrets  of  that  Quar 
ter  of  an  hour.  No  one  desired  to  do  it.  With 
tearful  eyes  and  burdened  hearts,  tens  of  thousands, 
in  loving  and  tender  sympathy  with  the  devoted 
wife,  were  satisfied  to  say,  "  Thank  God  for  that, 
meeting ! " 

From  that  moment,  the  president  seemed  to  rally. 
Their  mutual  love,  confidence,  and  fortitude  ap 
peared  to  assure  each  other.  The  two  most  hopeful 
and  resolute  persons  in  the  White  House,  from  that 
time,  were  the  president  and  his  wife.  They  put 
courage  and  hopefulness  into  everybody  else.  "Wipe 
away  your  tears,  if  you  are  going  in  there,"  said 


402  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Mrs.  Garfield  to  her  daughter  Mollie,  as  she  met 
her  at  the  door.  This  noble  spirit  was  assuring  to 
all  who  came  in  contact  with  them. 

A  little  later,  the  president  said  to  Mrs.  James, 
who  sat  hy  him,  "  Do  you  know  where  Mrs.  Garfield 
is  now  ?  " 

"Oh,  yes,"  Mrs.  James  said,  "she  is  close  by, 
watching  and  praying  for  her  husband." 

He  looked  up  to  the  lady  with  an  anxious  face, 
and  said  :  "  I  want  her  to  go  to  bed.  Will  you  tell 
her  that  I  say  if  she  will  undress  and  go  to  bed,  I 
will  turn  right  over,  and  I  feel  sure  that  when  I 
know  she  is  in  bed  I  can  go  to  sleep,  and  sleep  all 
night  ?  Tell  her,"  he  exclaimed,  with  sudden  en 
ergy,  "  that  I  will  sleep  all  night  if  she  will  only  do 
what  I  ask." 

Mrs.  James  conveyed  the  message  to  Mrs.  Gar- 
field,  who  said  to  her  at  once,  "Go  back  and  tell 
him  that  I  am  undressing." 

She  returned  with  the  answer,  and  the  president 
turned  over  on  his  right  side  and  dropped  into  a 
quiet  sleep  almost  instantly. 

An  hour  later,  the  president  said  to  Dr.  Bliss, 
"What  are  the  indications  ?"  Dr.  Bliss  answered, 
"There  is  a  chance  of  recovery."  "Well,  then," 
responded  the  president,  cheerfully,  "  we  will  take 
that  chance." 

Sunday,  July  3,  was  a  day  of  anxiety  and  tears 
to  the  American  people.  The  churches  were  filled 
v/ith  mourning  thousands,  and  the»burden  of  ser 
mons  and  prayers  was  the  great  sorrow  that  had 


ASSASSINATION.  403 

fallen  upon  the  nation.  July  4  was  such  an  Inde 
pendence  as  the  country  never  saw.  No  one  had  a 
heart  to  engage  in  the  festivities  of  the  day.  Many 
well-arranged  celebrations  were  abandoned.  George 
William  Curtis  speaks  eloquently  and  touchingly  of 
the  day,  as  follows  :  — 

"  But  the  emotion  and  the  spectacle  of  this  year 
are  without  parallel.  In  every  household  there  was 
a  hushed  and  tender  silence,  as  if  one  dearly  loved 
lay  dying.  In  every  great,  city  and  retired  village 
the  public  festivities  were  stayed,  and  the  assembly 
of  joy  and  pride  and  congratulation  was  solemnized 
into  a  reverent  congregation  of  heads  bowed  in 
prayer.  In  foreign  countries  American  gayety  was 
suspended.  In  the  British  Parliament,  Whig  and 
Tory  and  Radical  listened  to  catch  from  the  lips  of 
the  Prime  Minister  the  latest  tidings  from  one  suf 
ferer.  From  the  French  republic,  from  the  old 
empire  of  Japan,  and  the  new  kingdom  of  Bulgaria, 
from  Parnell,  the  Irish  agitator,  and  from  the  Lord 
Mayor  of  Dublin,  came  messages  of  sympathy  and 
sorrov/.  Sovereigns  and  princes,  the  people  and 
Ihe  nobles,  joined  in  earnest  hope  for  the  life  of  the 
Republican  President.  The  press  of  all  Christen* 
dom  told  the  mournful  story,  and  moralized  as  it  told. 
In  this  country  the  popular  grief  was  absolutely  unan 
imous.  One  tender,  overpowering  thought  called  a 
truce  even  to  party  contention.  Old  and  young, 
men  and  women  of  all  nationalities  and  of  all  prefer 
ences,  their  differences  forgotten,  waited  all  day  for 
news,  watched  the  flags  and  every  sign  that  might 


404  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

be  significant,  and  lay  down,  praying,  to  sleep, 
thanking  God  that  as  yet  the  worst  had  not  come." 

But  the  assassin  —  how  about  him?  His  name  is 
Charles  J.  Guiteau,  an  eccentric,  pettifogging  law 
yer,  about  forty  years  of  age,  of  a  weak,  disordered 
mind,  who  had  tried  in  vain  to  get  an  appointment 
to  a  foreign  consulate.  In  his  chagrin,  poverty  and 
disappointment,  as  some  suppose,  reason  was  par 
tially  dethroned,  and  he  committed  the  crime  in  his 
desperation.  Others  suppose  that,  since  he  sym 
pathized  with  Mr.  Conkling  and  Vice-President 
Arthur,  in  their  opposition  to  the  Garfield  admin 
istration,  relating  to  the  New  York  appointment,  he 
made  himself  believe  that,  President  Garfield  out  of 
the  way  and  Mr.  Arthur  in  his  place,  the  appoint 
ment  could  readily  be  secured.  Be  that  as  it  may, 
he  coolly  perpetrated  the  deed,  and  within  an  hour 
was  safely  lodged  in  the  District  jail. 

Detective  McElfresh,  who  took  the  prisoner  to 
jail,  reports  the  following  conversation  with  him 
while  being  conducted  thither  :  — 

"  I  asked  him,  '  Where  are  you  from? ' 

"'I  am  a  native-born  American — born  in  Chi 
cago  —  and  am  a  lawyer  and  a  theologian.' 

"'Why  did  you  do  this?' 

" '  I  did  it  to  save  the  Republican  party.' 

"'What  are  your  politics?  ' 

"  'I  am  a  stalwart  among  the  stalwarts.  With  Gar- 
field  out  of  the  way,  we  can  carry  all  the  Northern 
States  ;  and  with  him  in  the  way,  we  can't  carry  a 
single  one.'" 


ASSASSINA  TION. 


405 


Upon  learning  that  McElfresh  was  a  detective, 
Guiteau  said  :  "  You  stick  to  me,  and  have  me  put 
in  the  third  story,  front,  at  the  jail.  General  Sher 
man  is  coming  down  to  take  charge.  Arthur  and 
all  those  men  are  my  friends,  and  I'll  have  you 
made  Chief  of  Police.  When  you  go  back  to  the 
depot,  you  will  find  that  I  left  two  bundles  of  papers 
at  the  news-stand,  which  will  explain  all." 

"  Is  there  anybody  else  with  you  in  this  matter?  " 

"  Not  a  living  soul.  I  have  contemplated  the 
thing  for  the  last  six  weeks,  and  would  have  shot 
him  when  he  went  away  with  Mrs.  Garfield,  but 
I  looked  at  her,  and  she  looked  so  bad  that  I 
changed  my  mind." 

The  following  letter  was  found  in  the  street  soon 
after  his  arrest,  unsealed,  and  the  envelope  addressed 
thus:  "Please  deliver  at  once  to  General  Sher 
man,  or  his  first  assistant  in  charge  of  the  War 
Department :  — 

"  To  General  Sherman  : 

"•  I  have  just  shot  the  president.  I  shot  him  several  times,  as 
I  wished  him  to  go  as  easily  as  possible.  His  death  was  a  polit 
ical  necessity.  I  am  a  lawyer,  theologian,  and  politician.  I  am 
a  stalwart  of  the  stalwarts.  I  was  with  General  Grant  and  the 
rest  of  our  men  in  New  York  during  the  canvass.  I  am  going  to 
the  jail.  Please  order  out  your  troops,  and  take  possession  of  the 
jail  at  once.  Very  respectfully, 

CHARLES  GUITEAU." 

The  profound  sympathy  and  sorrow  of  the  people 
of  this  and  other  countries  was  manifested  by  tele 
grams  from  every  quarter,  letters  of  condolence,  and 


406  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

resolutions  of  public  bodies  and  organizations,  con 
veying  to  the  president  expressions  of  grief  and 
prayer  for  his  recovery.  They  were  received  by 
hundreds  in  a  day,  for  a  time.  Hon.  B.  R.  Bruce, 
late  member  of  Congress  from  Mississippi,  and  now 
register,  received  hundreds  of  letters  and  telegrams 
from  Mississippi,  from  both  Republicans  and  Demo 
crats,  denouncing  the  attempt  upon  the  president's 
life,  and  expressing  sincere  hopes  of  his  recovery. 
The  Vicksburg  Herald  (Miss.),  accompanied  its 
words  of  sympathy  with  this  statement :  "  No  presi 
dent  since  the  war  has  so  gained  on  the  good  feeling 
of  the  Southern  people  as  President  Garfield."  In 
Arkansas  the  fourteenth  day  of  July  was  observed 
as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  for  the  recovery  of 
President  Garfield,  the  day  having  been  appointed 
by  Governor  Churchill.  Governor  Blackburn  of 
Kentucky  appointed  the  fourteenth  day  of  July  also 
as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  for  the  same  object, 
and  the  day  was  very  generally  observed.  The 
Queen  of  England,  King  of  Spain,  King  of  Belgium, 
Emperors  of  Russia,  Japan  and  China,  and  Ger 
many,  and  other  foreign  rulers,  sent  dispatches  full 
of  sorrow  and  expressions  of  good-will.  Some  of 
them  repeated  their  telegrams  on  the  receipt  of  more 
favorable  news  respecting  the  president's  recovery. 
Victoria  said  :  — 

"  I  wish  to  express  my  great  satisfaction  at  the  very  favorable 
accounts  of  the  president,  and  hope  that  he  will  soon  be  consid 
ered  out  of  danger," 


A  SSA  SSINA  TION.  407 

Even  the  Indians  of  our  country,  in  whose  wel 
fare  the  president  has  been  so  deeply  interested, 
were  profoundly  touched  by  the  appalling  news; 
and  on  receipt  of  the  intelligence  that  hopes  of  his 
recovery  were  entertained,  Moses,  the  chief  of  the 
Confederate  tribes  of  Washington  Territory,  sent 
the  following  :  — 

"  Tell  the  Great  Chief  at  Washington  that  it  makes  our  hearts 
sad  to  hear  of  the  cowardly  attempt  made  on  his  life.  Chief  Moses 
and  all  of  his  people  offer  their  warmest  sympathies  to  the  Great 
Father  and  his  family.  He  has  always  been  a  good  friend  to  the 
Indians.  We  are  glad  to  hear  that  he  is  recovering,  and  hope  his 
life  may  be  spared." 

All  classes,  parties  and  sects,  except  some  Mormons 
and  Socialists,  appeared  to  feel  deeply  the  calamity 
to  the  nation,  and  to  indulge  the  most  heartfelt  de 
sire  that  the  president's  life  might  be  spared.  It  is 
a  demonstration  of  esteem  and  confidence,  as  honor 
able  to  the  citizens  of  our  country  as  it  must  be 
grateful  to  the  president  and  his  family.  The 
patriotic  words  of  the  illustrious  sufferer,  in  the 
outbreak  of  the  late  "War  of  the  Rebellion,"  have 
peculiar  significance  now  to  every  thoughtful  Amer 
ican  :  "I  regard  my  life  as  given  to  my  country.  I 
am  only  anxious  to  make  as  much  of  it  as  possible 
before  the  mortgage  on  it  is  foreclosed." 

The  gloom  of  our  National  Independence  was 
somewhat  lifted  by  the  more  favorable  condition  of 
the  president.  From  that  time,  he  slowly  but  stead 
ily  gained,  all  the  while  being  buoyant  in  spirits, 
and  feeling  that  his  recovery  was  assured.  Twice 


4o8  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

he  experienced  serious  relapses,  during  the  first  five 
or  six  weeks  of  his  sickness,  going  down  to  the  very 
brink  of  death,  causing  general  alarm,  and  sorrow 
everywhere.  From  these  relapses  he  rallied,  to 
suffer  on,  while  the  sympathies  of  his  devoted  coun 
trymen  were  drawn  out  more  and  more,  and  their 
prayers  for  his  recovery  went  up  to  heaven  with 
increasing  fervor. 

But  another  and  still  more  serious  relapse  awaited 
him  on  the  twenty-sixth  day  of  August,  destroying  the 
hopes  of  the  physicians  and  attending  friends.  The 
bullet-wound  was  doing  well,  discharging  healthy 
pus  freely  ;  but  an  ugly  abscess,  occasioned  by  pus- 
poisoning,  appeared  upon  the  neck,  and  the  stomach 
ceased  to  assimilate  or  retain  food.  At  four  o'clock 
p.  M.,  on  the  twenty-sixth  day  of  August,  he  appeared 
to  be  rapidly  sinking.  He  was  unconscious,  and 
breathed  heavily,  like  one  suffering  in  the  last  stages 
of  apoplexy.  A  consultation  of  the  doctors  re 
sulted  in  the  decision  that  the  last  ray  of  hope  had 
vanished,  and  a  few  hours  more  would  put  the  seal 
of  death  upon  all  that  was  mortal  of  the  illustrious 
president.  Two  of  the  medical  attendants  were 
delegated  to  break  the  sad  conclusion  to  Mrs.  Gar- 
field,  whose  expectation  of  his  recovery  had  scarcely 
been  eclipsed.  It  was  an  hour  of  dreadful  depres 
sion  in  the  Executive  Mansion,  and  few  were  the 
eyes  that  refused  to  weep.  The  doctors  dreaded  to 
bear  the  terrible  message  to  Mrs.  Garfield,  —  a 
message  that  would  dash  her  last  hope,  and  possibly 
overcome  her  hitherto  trusting  and  heroic  spirit* 


ASSASSINATION.  409 

What  was  their  surprise,  however,  to  find  that  her 
truly  noble  soul  was  equal  to  the  occasion  and 
seemed  to  rise  higher  and  grander  upon  the  wings 
of  faith?  She  responded,  as  one  whom  everlasting 
grace  was  upholding,  "  Gentlemen,  you  shall  not 
give  him  up.  He  is  not  going  to  die.  He  is  going 
to  live.  I  feel,  I  know  it.  Go  back  to  your  post, 
every  one  of  you,  and  leave  it  not  until  every  remedy 
is  exhausted,  until  death  itself  has  set  his  seal  upon 
him,  for  I  will  not  believe  that  he  is  dying.  Go 
back  and  do  what  you  can.  You  cannot  do  more, 
but  don't  give  up.  I  am  his  wife,  and  I  say  we  will 
not  give  up  until  the  end  itself  is  upon  us." 

Instructions  directly  from  heaven  would  not  have 
been  more  unexpected  nor  more  inspiring.  They 
were  speechless  before  the  Christian  heroine,  as 
worldly  wisdom  always  is  in  the  presence  of  heav 
enly  attributes.  Hope  that  had  died  out  of  their 
hearts  returned  to  flicker  longer,  and  back  to  their 
post  they  went ;  not  to  show  their  skill,  for  that  was 
impotent  then  ;  but  to  watch  the  apparently  dying 
man,  and  catch  a  gleam  of  hope,  if  possible,  as  mor 
tality  appeared  to  be  losing  itself  in  immortality. 
That  was  a  desolate  night  in  Washington  — •  Friday 
of  August  twenty-sixth  —  and  the  mourners  went 
about  the  streets,  or  lay  sleepless  in  their  beds.  The 
general  expectation  was,  that  the  pall  of  death  would 
rest  upon  the  White  House  before  another  rising  sun. 
About  two  o'clock  on  Saturday  morning,  the  pres 
ident,  aroused  from  his  unconscious  state,  and  see 
ing  his  wife  watching  at  his  bedside,  spoke  feebly, 


4io  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Go  to  bed,  my  dear,  and  try  to  get  some  rest."  She 
pleaded  to  remain,  when  he  responded,  "Is  it  true 
that  we  shall  be  separated  so  soon?  You'd  better 
stay,  then." 

Morning  brought  no  relief,  except  that  the  patient 
still  lived.  Telegraphic  dispatches  had  borne  the 
tidings  over  the  land  —  "  no  hope  !  "  In  many  local 
ities  the  report  of  the  president's  death  was  current. 
The  Atlantic  cable  bore  such  a  message  to  Great 
Britain,  and  a  notice  of  his  death,  with  a  biographical 
sketch,  appeared  in  a  Liverpool  daily  on  Saturday. 
The  queen  was  deeply  affected  by  this  unexpected 
relapse,  and  immediately  sent  a  cablegram  to  Mrs. 
Garfield ;  "  I  am  most  deeply  grieved  at  the  sad 
news  received,  and  would  express  my  sincere  sym 
pathy."  She  knew  full  well  the  anguish  of  that 
loving  heart,  whose  idol  was  apparently  to  be 
removed,  for  she  had  been  in  that  vale  of  sorrow 
herself,  the  memory  of  which  was  still  fresh  and 
vivid.  She  broke  through  the  barriers  of  royalty 
and  addressed  herself  directly  to  Mrs.  Garfield,  as 
one  mourning  widow  speaks  to  a  sister  about  to 
become  like  herself.  It  was  the  warm,  tender  hand- 
grasp  of  real  sympathy  across  the  sea,  for  which 
the  nation  itself  is  glad.  Long  live  the  queen  ! 

On  Saturday  the  churches  of  Washington  con 
sulted  together,  through  representatives,  and  it  was 
decided  to  observe  the  following  day  as  one  of  fast 
ing  and  prayer  in  behalf  of  the  president,  who  still 
lived.  Christians  felt  that,  since  human  care  and 
medical  skill  were  exhausted,  and  the  wisest  coun* 


ASSASSfJVA  TION. 


411 


sellers  had  said  "we  can  do  no  more,"  it  was  time 
for  believers  in  prayer  to  gather  in  their  places  of 
worship,  and  implore  God  to  interpose  and  spare  the 
patient,  whom  medical  science  could  not  save.  Tel 
egrams  were  flashed  over  the  country,  inviting 
Christians  of  every  name  to  spend  Sunday,  August 
28,  in  supplication  for  the  recovery  of  the  president. 
The  response  was  general  and  sympathetic.  True, 
a  volume  of  prayer  had  been  going  up  to  God  from 
church  and  family  altars,  as  well  as  from  secret 
places,  for  his  restoration,  from  the  day  he  was 
shot ;  but  no  such  concert  of  prayer  had  been  pro 
posed.  A  daily  paper  of  Boston,  on  Monday, 
August  29,  said,  under  the  heading 

"A  NATION   ON   ITS    KNEES," 

"Through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land  there 
were  few  pulpits  of  any  denomination  of  Christians 
in  which  no  reference  was  made  to  President  Gar- 
field's  condition  on  Sunday,  and  few  worshipping 
assemblies  in  which  earnest  prayer  was  not  offered 
for  his  recovery.  There  was  no  need  of  any  special 
summons  to  this  service.  It  was  the  spontaneous 
and  natural  expression  of  the  national  feeling.  The 
heavy  tidings  of  Saturday  had  prepared  all  for  the 
worst.  The  physicians  had  abandoned  hope,  and  all 
human  help  seemed  to  have  been  tried  and  to  have 
failed ;  and  in  an  agony  of  prayer  the  whole  nation, 
with  one  consent,  directed  its  entreaties  to  Him  who 
holds  men  and  nations  in  His  hands.  Never  before, 
probably,  have  so  many  prayers  been  offered  at  one 


412 


LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 


time  in  behalf  of  one  man.  Those  who  have  faith 
in  prayer  must  have  had  their  confidence  strength 
ened  by  the  thought  of  such  a  solemn  unity  of  peti 
tion  ;  and  those  who  have  little  faith  in  religious 
things  can  hardly  have  failed  to  be  impressed  by  it. 
To  many  minds,  the  strange  and  marked  improve 
ment  in  the  president's  condition,  reported  during  the 
day,  must  have  seemed  a  fresh  reason  for  belief  in 
the  efficacy  of  prayer.  Whether  these  countless 
prayers  are  answered  in  the  way  in  which  those  who 
offered  them  desire,  or  not,  only  good  can  come 
from  this  deepened  sense  of  the  nation's  dependence 
upon  God." 

While  the  Christian  men  and  women  of  the 
country  were  yet  upon  their  knees,  the  president 
rallied  from  the  extreme  prostration  of  Friday  and 
Saturday ;  his  stomach  resumed  its  functions,  his 
pulse  fell,  and  he  said  in  a  stronger  voice  than  he  had 
used  for  a  week,  "  I  am  better;  I  shall  live."  His 
strength  was  apparently  renewed,  and  the  change 
was  so  decided  that  the  hopes  of  the  nation  were 
once  more  revived.  The  talk  of  a  day  of  na 
tional  thanksgiving  was  renewed  with  increased  in 
terest.  This  subject  was  announced  by  Governor 
Foster  of  Ohio,  when  hope  of  his  recovery  was  first 
awakened  after  he  was  shot,  by  the  following 
card :  — 

"  GOVERNOR'S  OFFICE,  COLUMBUS,  0.,  July  10. 
"  Present  indications  strongly  encourage  the  hope   that  the 
president   will  recover  from  the  effects  of  the  horrible  attempt 
upon  his  life.     It  must  occur  to  all  that  it  would  be  most  fitting 


A  SSA  SSINA  TION.  4 1 3 

for  the  Governors  of  the  several  States  and  Territories  to  issue 
proclamations  setting  apart  a  day  to  be  generally  agreed  upon  for 
thanksgiving  and  praise  to  Almighty  God  for  the  blessed  deliver 
ance  of  our  president,  and  for  this  great  evidence  of  His  good 
ness  to  this  nation.  If  this  suggestion  meets  your  approbation, 
permit  me  to  name  the  Governors  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania, 
Kentucky,  Maryland,  and  Ohio,  as  a  committee  to  fix  upon  a  day 
to  be  so  observed.  Please  reply. 

(Signed)  CHARLES  FOSTER." 

The  suggestion  was  a  proof  of  the  strong  place 
the  president  occupied  in  the  affections  of  the  peo 
ple  ;  and  there  was  evidence  that  every  state  in  the 
Union  would  have  united  in  sincere  praise  to  God 
had  his  life  been  spared.  North  and  South,  East 
and  West,  the  interest  was  profoundly  impressive  ;  in 
no  part  of  the  country  was  it  more  beautiful  than  in 
the  South.  The  Atlanta  Constitution  reached  us 
with  the  following  delightful  tribute  :  — 

"An  element  that  contributes  largely  to  increase 
the  sympathy  of  the  Southern  people  is  the  happy 
family  relations  of  the  president.  It  was  remem 
bered  how,  upon  the  occasion  of  his  inauguration, 
he  turned  from  the  applauding  crowd  to  kiss  his  wife 
and  his  white-haired  mother ;  and  many  a  Southern 
wife  and  mother  wrung  their  hands  in  grief  when 
the  news  of  his  assassination  was  received,  and 
cried:  'Oh,  what  will  his  wife  do?  How  will  his 
mother  bear  it?*  Gracious  little  hints,  shining  here 
and  there  through  the  bewildering  dulness  of  politi~ 
cal  discussions,  have  given  the  people  a  tolerably 
clear  idea  of  the  exquisite  beauty  and  harmony 
of  the  president's  family  relations,  in  such  charming 


4T4  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

contrast  to  the  showy  shoddyism  of  the  capital, 
and  this  knowledge  has  had  a  potent  effect  on  the 
public  mind.  It  is  no  small  or  unimportant  thing1 
that,  in  the  midst  of  conditions  altogether  heartless, 
and  surrounded  by  influences  calculated  to  destroy 
reverence  for  the  family  hearth,  the  home  life  of  the 
President  of  the  Republic  should  be  ideally  perfect, 
and  the  fact  that  it  is,  brings  him  and  his  family 
very  close  to  the  hearts  of  the  American  people.  But 
it  is  not  necessary  to  endeavor  to  account  for  or  to 
explain  Southern  manifestations  of  sympathy  for  the 
stricken  president.  They  were  spontaneous  and 
they  are  not  fleeting.  We  know  a  little  girl  — 
the  daughter  of  a  Confederate  officer  who  fought 
through  the  war  —  who,  upon  being  told  last  Sun 
day  morning  that  the  president  was  still  alive, 
quietly  replied,  'I  know  it.  I  prayed  last  night 
that  he  might  live.'  The  child  had  prayed  with 
faith,  and  was  certain  her  prayer  would  be  an 
swered.  This  Sunday  morning  there  is  every  indi 
cation  that  the  president  will  be  spared  to  his  family 
and  to  the  country,  but  to  the  stricken  man  —  to  fair- 
faced  wife  and  white-haired  mother  —  the  South, 
standing  in  the  shadow  of  great  troubles  of  her  own, 
still  sends  forth  her  sympathy." 

A  Democratic  member  of  Congress,  Representa 
tive  Hurd,  in  publicly  expressing  his  unfeigned  grief 
over  the  president's  critical  condition,  tells  this 
story  :  — 

"It  happened  once  that  I  —  a  young  member  — 
was  called  upon  to  close  on  the  Democratic  side  a 


ASSASSINA  TION.  415 

debate  which  Mr.  Garfield  was  to  close  the  next 
morning  on  behalf  of  the  Republicans.  I  felt  the 
responsibility ;  I  was  extremely  anxious  to  make  a 
reply  which  would  do  credit  to  myself  and  not  dis 
grace  my  party ;  and  I  went  to  Garfield  that  night 
and  pointed  out  my  dilemma.  I  did  not  feel  equal 
to  the  occasion  of  making  an  impromptu  response  to 
a  speech  which  he  was  fully  prepared  to  make. 
Like  the  man  that  he  is  —  like  a  brother,  I  might 
say  —  he  told  me  what  he  was  going  to  say,  the 
whole  tenor  of  his  argument,  and  thus  gave  me  the 
benefit  of  twenty-four  hours'  study  in  which  to  reply 
to  him.  You  can  understand  my  admiration,  my 
love,  my  anxiety  for  that  man."  Then  he  added, ff  I 
stumped  my  rtate  against  him  last  year,  but  from 
my  knowledge  of  the  man,  I  feel  that  he  was  never 
guilty  of  a  dishonest  or  ungenerous  act." 

An  Illinois  editor  says  :  — 

"  The  statement  that  President  Garfield  has  never 
done  better  service  to  the  nation  than  since  he  was 
stricken  down  is  one  that  will  meet  an  'amen'  in 
every  heart.  The  Christian  fortitude,  the  perfect 
submission,  the  heroic  desire  to  live  if  possible,  but 
to  die  bravely  and  resignedly  if  he  must,  the  chival- 
ric  devotion  to  and  careful  thought  for  his  wife  and 
children  and  mother,  have  given  the  country  an 
exhibition  of  high  manhood  and  nobility  of  character 
most  salutary.  The  effect  will  not  be  ephemeral. 
General  Garfield  on  his  bed  of  death,  as  it  promised 
to  be,  has  elevated  the  American  people.  They  will 
not  soon  forget  the  lessons  he  has  taught." 


416  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

This  chapter,  in  which  the  heroic  wife  of  the 
president  is  seen  to  have  borne  her  part  with  so 
much  calmness  and  faith,  would  not  be  complete 
without  the  following  picture,  which  we  are  per 
mitted  to  give  our  readers,  from  her  own  hand.  It 
is  an  extraci.  from  a  letter  written  by  Mrs.  Garfield 
to  her  husband  ten  years  ago;  and,  coming  into 
the  hands  of  President  Hinsdale  of  Hiram  College, 
it  was  published  in  a  late  number  of  The  Student, 
issued  at  that  college  : 

"  I  am  glad  to  tell  you,  that  out  of  all  the  toil  and 
disappointments  of  the  summer  just  ended  I  have 
risen  up  to  a  victory  ;  that  silence  of  thought  since 
you  have  been  away  has  won  for  my  spirit  a  tri 
umph.  I  read  something  like  this  the  ether  day  : 
'There  is  no  healthy  thought  without  labor,  and 
thought  makes  the  labor  happy.'  Perhaps  this  is 
the  way  I  have  been  able  'to  climb  up  higher.  It 
came  to  me  one  morning  when  I  was  making  bread. 
I  said  to  myself,  '  Here  I  am,  compelled  by  an 
inevitable  necessity  to  make  our  bread  this  summer. 
Why  not  consider  it  a  pleasant  occupation,  and 
make  it  so  by  trying  to  see  what  perfect  bread  I  can 
make?'  It  seemed  like  an  inspiration,  and  the 
whole  of  life  grew  brighter.  The  very  sunshine 
seemed  flowing  down  through  my  spirit  into  the 
white  loaves  !  and  now  I  believe  my  table  is  fur 
nished  with  better  bread  than  ever  before.  And 
this  truth,  old  as  creation,  seems  just  now  to  have 
become  fully  mine  —  that  I  need  not  to  be  the  shirk 
ing  slave  to  toil,  but  its  regal  master,  making  what- 


ASSASSINATION.  417 

ever  I  do  yield  me  its  best  fruits.  You  have  been 
king  of  your  works  so  long  that  maybe  you  will 
laugh  at  me  for  having  lived  so  long  without  my 
crown ;  but  I  am  too  glad  to  have  found  it  at  all  to 
be  entirely  disconcerted  even  by  your  merriment. 

"Now,  I  wonder  if  right  here  does  not  lie  the 
f  terrible  wrong,'  or  at  least  some  of  it,  of  which  the 
woman  suffragists  complain.  The  wrongly  educated 
woman  thinks  her  duties  a  disgrace,  and  frets  under 
them,  or  shirks  them  if  .she  can.  She  sees  man 
triumphantly  pursuing  his  vocations,  and  thinks  it 
is  the  kind  of  work  he  does  which  makes  him  grand 
and  regnant ;  whereas  it  is  not  the  kind  of  work  at 
all,  but  the  way  in  which,  and  the  spirit  with  which, 
he  does  it." 

The  physicians  became  satisfied  that  the  malarial 
air  of  Washington  was  very  unfavorable  to  the 
recovery  of  the  president.  From  the  time  he  was 
stricken  down,  the  public  were  extremely  anxious 
about  this  danger.  It  was  not  until  Tuesday,  the 
fifth  day  of  September,  however,  that  he  was  re 
moved  to  Long  Branch,  New  Jersey.  Preparations 
were  made  to  remove  him  upon  his  bed,  with  the 
least  possible  excitement  and  motion  ;  and  at  six 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  that  day  he  was  taken 
from  the  White  House  to  the  special  train  in  wait 
ing,  accompanied  by  his  devoted  wife  and  loving 
daughter,  together  with  his  medical  attendants  and 
other  friends.  His  two  oldest  sons  left  Washington 
on  the  day  previous  to  entering  Williams  College, 
Williamstown,  Mass.,  and  the  two  youngest  re- 


41 8  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

mained  still  at  the  family  home  in  Mentor,  Ohio. 
The  removal  of  the  president  was  accomplished 
without  injury  to  him,  save  extreme  weariness, 
which  was  anticipated.  That  was  the  most  re 
markable  journey  in  the  annals  of  time :  the  sick 
and  prostrate  ruler  of  a  great  nation  borne  upon  his 
bed  at  the  rate  of  fifty  miles  an  hour  in  quest  of  re 
covery  !  At  every  station  along  the  whole  distance 
the  sympathizing  people  gathered  in  large  numbers  ; 
and,  in  silence,  with  uncovered  heads  and  tearful 
eyes,  watched  the  train  as  it  swept  by,  representa 
tive  of  fifty  millions  of  people  who  waited,  with  bated 
breath,  the  result  of  the  perilous  experiment.  Many 
eyes  were  dim  with  tears  when,  at  the  close  of  the 
eventful  day,  they  read  the  account  of  his  journey 
from  the  presidential  mansion  to  the  sea,  the  event 
was  so  unusual  and  pathetic.  And  yet  their  hearts 
rejoiced  to  learn  that,  without  detriment,  he  was 
comfortably  lodged  in  Francklyn  Cottage,  which 
had  been  arranged  for  his  reception,  at  about  one 
o'clock  P.  M. 

The  change  appeared  to  benefit  the  patient  at 
first,  and  he  enjoyed  the  sea-air  with  a  keen  relish. 
On  the  fourth  day  after  his  arrival,  Dr.  Hamilton 
said  to  Mrs.  Garfield,  "I  am  afraid  to  tell  you  how 
confident  I  feel  of  your  husband's  recovery."  The 
public  participated  in  this  confident  hope,  and  there 
was  renewed  talk  of  a  national  thanksgiving.  The 
interest  and  joy  of  the  public  expressed  itself  in 
offers  to  supply  this,  that,  and  the  other  article  that 
might  add  comfort  and  hope  to  his  condition.  One 


ASSASSLVA  TIOX.  419 

man  sent  him  a  fine  Jersey  cow,  that  he  might  be 
supplied  with  fresh  milk.  Two  little  girls  in  Penn 
sylvania,  reading  that  the  president  wanted  squirrel 
broth,  sent  to  him  their  pet  squirrel  in  a  box  by  ex 
press,  delighted  to  give  the  great  and  good  man 
any  thing  they  possessed  to  aid  in  his  recovery. 
There  was  no  limit  to  the  tangible  expressions  of 
tender  regard  by  the  people. 

The  bitoyant  hopes  raised  by  the  removal  of  the 
patient  were  dashed,  however,  in  a  few  days,  by 
the  undoubted  evidence  of  blood-poisoning,  and  the 
presence  of  an  abscess  in  the  right  lung.  Many 
thought  the  last  hope  was  gone.  Others  still  clung 
to  the  hope  which  the  patient's  great  physical  vital 
ity  and  uniform  courage  inspired.  All  along,  the 
public,  and  even  the  doctors,  had  depended  much 
upon  the  physical  and  moral  make-up  of  the  man, 
to  restore  him  ;  and  there  can  be  no  doubt,  that, 
with  an  ordinary  constitution,  less  will-power,  and 
fewer  of  those  conspicuous  qualities,  like  decision, 
courage,  self-reliance,  and  persistent  purpose,  which 
developed  into  his  noble  manhood,  he  would  have 
died  soon  after  the  attempt  upon  his  life.  But  he 
grew  worse ;  and,  on  the  seventeenth  day  of  Sep 
tember,  appeared  to  be  beyond  mortal  aid.  The 
medical  attendants  well-nigh  despaired  of  him,  al 
though  there  was  no  evidence  of  speedy  dissolution. 
Two  days  later,  September  nineteenth,  there  ap 
peared  slight  improvement.  He  called  for  a  hand 
glass,  that  he  might  see  his  face.  Mrs.  Garfield 
put  it  into  his  hand,  and  he  held  it  for  some  mo 
ments,  viewing  himself,  when  he  remarked:  f?I  do 


420  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

not  see  how  it  is  that  a  man  who  looks  as  well  as  I 
do  should  be  so  dreadfully  weak."  In  the  evening, 
Colonel  Rockwell,  his  faithful  attendant,  said: 
"Things  look  better;  I  always  told  you  that  the 
President  would  get  well."  Dr.  Bliss  remarked: 
"There  are  no  more  bad  symptoms  to  mention. 
We  think  the  lung  trouble  is  a  little  better;  his  tem 
perature  is  normal,  and  his  pulse  greatly  reduced." 
General  Swaim  said  :  "  He  is  worth  all  the  dead 
men  that  can  be  laid  between  here  and  New  York. 
His  pulse  is  firmer,  stronger,  and  has  more  volume. 
His  mind  is  clear,  and  his  stomach  right.  His  pluck 
and  courage  are  amazing.  He  comes  out  of  a  chill 
as  cheerful  as  if  he  were  leaving  an  evening  party." 
Dr.  Hamilton  remarked  to  a  friend:  "It  is  almost 
impossible  to  look  upon  that  cheerful,  smiling  face, 
and  not  feel  that  he  is  going  to  live."  Under  the 
impulse  of  this  more  buoyant  feeling,  at  ten  o'clock, 
p.  M.,  the  following  was  sent  to  Minister  Lowell  in 
London  :  — 

"  The  President  had  another  chill  of  considerable  severity  this 
morning,  which,  following  so  soon  after  the  chill  of  last  evening, 
left  him  very  weak  indeed.  His  pulse  became  more  frequent  and 
feeble  than  at  any  time  since  he  recovered  from  the  immediate 
shock  of  the  wound,  and  his  generaJ  condition  was  more  alarm 
ing  during  the  day.  His  system  has  reacted  to  some  extent,  and 
he  passed  the  afternoon  and  evening  comfortably.  At  this  hour 
he  is  resting  quietly,  and  no  disturbance  is  expected  during  the 
night.  There  has  been,  however,  no  gain  whatever  in  strength, 
and  therefore,  there  is  no  decrease  of  anxiety." 

The  lights  were  lowered  for  the  night;  Mrs.  Gar- 
field  and  the  physicians  retired  ;  and  the  illustrious 
sleeper  was  left  alone  with  his  watchers. 


XXVI. 
DEATH.  —  FUNERAL  CEREMONIES. 

JITHIN  ten  minutes  after  the  physicians 
and  Mrs.  Garfield  retired,  the  president 
awoke  with  a  groan.  Placing  his  hand 
upon  his  heart,  he  said  to  General  Swaim, 
"  Oh,  Swaim  !  what  a  terrible  pain  I  have  here  !  " 
Dr.  Bliss  was  summoned  from  an  adjoining  room 
hastily,  and  the  moment  he  fastened  his  eye  upon 
the  sufferer  he  exclaimed,  "  My  God,  Swaim,  he  is 
dying  ;  call  Mrs.  Garfield."  From  that  moment  he 
appeared  to  be  unconscious,  although  he  fixed  his 
eyes  upon  his  wife  as  she  hurriedly  entered  the 
room,  and  seemed  to  follow  her  as  she  moved 
around  to  the  other  side  of  the  bed  to  take  his  hand 
in  hers.  His  eyes  were  wide  open,  but  dazed ;  his 
pulse  only  fluttered ;  he  gasped,  and  was  no  more. 
At  thirty-five  minutes  past  ten  o'clock,  Dr.  Bliss 
pronounced  life  extinct !  A  sudden  and  terrible 
change  from  the  hope  inspired  at  ten  o'clock  !  The 
President  of  the  United  States  —  her  favorite  son, 
scholar,  and  statesman  —  was  dead  ! 


422  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

The  unutterable  sadness  of  that  moment  in  the 
Francklyn  Cottage  can  never  be  put  upon  paper. 
The  idol  of  the  family  and  nation  had  ceased  to  live, 
and  the  witnesses  of  the  dying  scene  were  silent 
and  in  tears.  Through  that  little  company  of 
friends,  as  representatives,  the  American  people 
wept  with  the  widow  by  that  lifeless  form. 

A  few  moments  of  hushed  silence,  broken  only 
by  irrepressible  sobs,  and  Mrs.  Garfield  slipped  out 
of  the  chamber  of  death  into  her  own  room.  She 
knew,  by  blessed  experience,  where  to  go  for  help 
in  her  sorrow  ;  and,  alone  with  Him  whose  grace 
is  sufficient  for  all,  to  be  made  equal  to  the  loss.  In 
ten  minutes  she  returned  and  took  her  seat  by  her 
dear,  departed  husband,  calm,  self-possessed,  and 
heroic,  as  if  she  had  laid  a  part  of  her  crushing 
grief  upon  the  Great  Burden-Bearer.  On  being 
asked  what  her  wishes  were  respecting  the  disposi 
tion  of  the  body,  she  replied  that  she  "  could  not 
consider  that  subject  until  morning."  For  two 
hours  she  kept  her  place  at  the  bed-side  of  the 
painless  sleeper,  then  retired  sadly  to  her  room,  not 
to  slumber,  but  to  pace  the  floor  until  dawn. 

The  cabinet  were  near  by,  except  Secretaries 
Blaine  and  Lincoln,  who  were  en  route  for  Long 
Branch  from  New  England,  and  they  were  imme 
diately  summoned.  About  midnight  they  sent  the 
following  telegram  to  Vice-President  Arthur,  who 
was  at  his  home  in  New  York  City  :  — 

"  It  becomes  our  painful  duty  to  inform  you  of  the  death  of 
President  Garfield,  and  to  advise  you  to  take  the  oath  of  office  as 


DEATH.  423 


President  of  the  United  States  without  delay.  If  it  concurs  with 
your  judgment,  will  be  very  glad  if  you  will  come  here  on  the 
earliest  train  to-morrow. 

**  WILLIAM  WINDOM,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 
"  W.  H.  HUNT,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 
"  THOMAS  L.  JAMES,  Postmaster-General. 
"  WAYNE  MACVEAGH,  Attorney-General. 
"  S.  J.  KIRKWOOD,  Secretary  of  Interior ." 

The  next  telegram  was  forwarded  to  his  aged 
mother  at  Hiram,  Ohio,  who  was  awaiting  the  issue 
with  maternal  solicitude  and  Christian  trust.  The 
next  went  to  his  two  sons  in  college  at  Williams- 
town,  Mass.  :  — 

"  At  thirty-five  minutes  past  ten  o'clock  to-night  your  father 
passed  peacefully  away.  Come  to  Long  Branch  at  once." 

Secretaries  Blaine  and  Lincoln  were  taking  the 
train  in  Boston  about  the  time  the  president  expired, 
when  the  following  telegram  was  handed  to  Mr. 

Lincoln  :  — 

"LONG  BRANCH,  Sept.  19,  1881,  9  P.  M. 

"  The  president  has  passed  a  comfortable  day,  and  is  now  rest 
ing  quietly.  "  WAYNE  MACVEAGH." 

Of  course,  the  two  secretaries  left  Boston  with 
increased  hope ;  but  that  hope  perished  suddenly, 
when,  at  Putnam,  Conn.,  a  telegram  intercepted 
them,  announcing  the  President's  death. 

The  news  of  his  death  was  carried  speedily  over 
the  country  by  telegraph,  and  before  one  o'clock, 
the  inhabitants  of  Boston,  New  York,  Washington, 
Philadelphia  and  other  large  cities  and  towns,  were 
aroused  from  their  slumbers  by  the  tolling  of  bells. 


424  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

They  knew  full  well  the  import  of  that  solemn 
knell ;  and  tens  of  thousands  exchanged  sleep  for 
mourning.  The  sad  intelligence  wa?  borne  so 
rapidly  over  the  land  and  world  that,  by  twelve 
o'clock  on  the  following  day,  the  bells  of  towns 
from  Maine  to  California  tolled  their  melancholy 
requiem  in  honor  of  the  dead.  From  valley,  plain 
and  hill-top,  far  and  near,  the  doleful  sound  was 
borne  on  the  wings  of  the  wind,  until  almost  every 
hamlet  heard  the  tidings  and  bowed  in  sorrow. 
The  Canadas  joined  in  the  general  lamentation, 
and  expressed  their  heartfelt  sympathy  by  the  toll 
ing  of  bells.  And  even  across  the  Atlantic,  the  sad 
refrain  was  caught  up  by  English  towns,  and  their 
church-bells  told  of  their  sympathy  for  our  afflicted 
land,  and  their  respect  for  the  deceased  president. 
The  sorrow  was  universal.  How  strange  that 
thousands  and  thousands  of  bells  should  unite  in 
tolling  the  death-knell  of  one  who  never  heard  the 
sound  of  a  bell  until  he  was  more  than  ten  years  of 
age.* 

President  Garfield  died  on  the  anniversary  of  his 
promotion  to  Major-General,  SEPTEMBER  NINE 
TEENTH,  for  brave  deeds  in  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
rnauga.  His  famous  ride  in  that  battle  from  Gen 
eral  Rosecrans  to  General  Thomas,  in  which  he 
ran  the  gauntlet  of  rebel  guns  for  miles,  his  two 
orderlies  and  their  horses  being  shot  at  his  side, 
was  so  wonderful  as  to  cause  a  correspondent  of  the 
New  York  Tribune,  who  wa-s  on  the  ground,  to  say  : 

*  See  Chapter  VI. 


DBA  TH. 


425 


"  His  death  was  certain,  unless  Providence  had  more 
work  for  him  to  do  on  this  footstool."  *  God  had 
eighteen  years  more  of  patriotic  work  for  him  to  do 
for  his  country,  and  so  he  emerged  from  that  fearful 
ordeal  with  only  the  smell  of  fire  upon  his  garments. 
His  countrymen  hoped  that  God  had  still  more  and 
greater  work  for  him  in  public  life,  and  so  would 
spare  him  now.  But  his  life  was  well  rounded ;  he 
had  reached  the  Pisgah  of  earthly  fame ;  he  had 
accomplished  more  at  fifty  years  than  most  states 
men  at  seventy ;  his  work  was  all  done,  and  well 
done ;  so  God  took  him,  that  he  might  bless  the  na 
tion  more  by  his  death  than  he  could  by  his  life. 

There  is  a  prophetic  character  in  the  statement 
of  General  Mussey,  on  the  twenty-seventh  day  of 
August,  when  the  physicians  abandoned  all  hope  of 
the  President's  restoration,  and  so  announced  to 
Mrs.  Garfield.  "  He  will  not  live;  but  he  will  not 
die  until  the  nineteenth  day  of  September." 

"Why  do  you  make  that  statement?"  he  was 
asked. 

"  Because  it  was  on  the  nineteenth  day  of  Sep 
tember,  1863,  that  General  Garfield  was  made 
Major-General  for  gallantry  in  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga,  and  he  has  often  told  me  that  when  he  died, 
he  thought  he  should  die  on  the  anniversary  of  his 
promotion.  I  claim  nothing  for  his  prophecy,  but 
only  repeat  what  he  told  me  several  times  with  an 
earnestness  I  shall  never  forget." 

On  th*e   arrival  of  secretaries  Blaine  and  Lincoln, 

*  Sec  account  oi"  his  ride,  in  last  chapter. 


426  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

the  Cabinet  convened,  and,  with  the  acquiescence  of 
Mrs.  Garfield,  arranged  for  obsequies  at  Washing 
ton  on  Friday,  September  twenty-third,  and  at 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  on  Monday,  September  twenty- 
sixth.  Preparations  were  hastily  made  for  the  re 
moval  of  the  body  to  the  Capital,  and  in  the  mean 
time,  a  post-mortem  examination  of  the  body 
disclosed  what  surprised  the  doctors  and  the 
country,  —  the  bullet  was  found  behind  the  heart, 
quite  distant  from  the  spot  where  the  surgeons 
located  it.  They  had  failed  to  trace  the  course  of 
the  ball  correctly,  and,  to  comprehend  fully  the 
fatal  extent  of  the  injury.  Before  the  close  of 
Tuesday,  Mrs.  Garfield  received  the  following  tele 
gram  of  condolence  from  Queen  Victoria :  — 

"Words  cannot  express  the  deep  sympathy  I  feel  with  you. 
May  God  support  and  comfort  you  as  He  alone  can." 

On  Wednesday  morning  the  funeral  cortege  left 
Elberon  for  Washington,  accompanied  by  the  new 
President,  Chester  A.  Arthur,  who  had  taken  the 
oath  of  office  in  New  York,  and  Ex-President  Grant, 
with  all  the  members  of  the  Cabinet.  The  train  was 
deeply  draped  with  mourning  emblems,  and  was 
met  with  the  symbols  of  sorrow  along  the  entire 
route.  At  the  Princeton  station,  three  hundred 
students  from  the  college  stood,  with  uncovered 
heads  and  arms  full  of  flowers,  with  which  they 
strewed  the  track  and  literally  covered  the  funeral 
car,  as  the  train  slacked  its  speed  and  moved  slowly 
by.  At  five  o'clock  p.  M.  the  casket  was  deposiu-d 
in  the  rotunda  of  the  Capitol,  amid  the  tolling  of 


FUNERAL    CEREMONIES.  427 

bells  and  other  sorrowful  demonstrations.  The 
Capitol  and  all  the  public  buildings  of  the  city,  to 
gether  with  houses,  stores  and  streets,  were  .elabo 
rately  draped  with  the  emblems  of  grief. 

Arrangements  were  made  for  the  body  to  lie  in 
state  in  the  rotunda  of  the  Capitol  until  the  time  of 
the  funeral  on  Friday.  The  lid  of  the  casket  was 
opened  immediately  after  it  was  deposited  upon  the 
catafalque ;  and  the  crowd  began  to  enter  to  view 
the  remains.  By  the  time -the  lid  of  the  coffin  was 
closed,  late  on  Thursday  afternoon,  a  hundred 
thousand  people  had  passed  in  to  see  the  dead 
President.  It  became  necessary  to  close  the  casket 
on  Thursday  night,  because  decomposition  was 
advancing  so  rapidly.  The  body  had  been  em 
balmed,  but  the  decay  challenged  the  embalmer, 
and  his  work  proved  vain.  Before  the  face  of  the 
sleeper  was  shut  from  the  gaze  of  men,  Mrs.  Gar- 
field  expressed  the  wish  to  be  alone  with  him  for  a 
season.  She  was  accompanied  to  the  Capitol  by 
the  Attorney-General  and  other  intimate  friends. 
The  sentinels  and  other  persons  were  sent  from  the 
rotunda,  and  every  door  was  locked,  save  one, 
through  which  the  stricken  widow  might  pass.  As 
soon  as  she  stepped  alone  into  the  rotunda,  the  guard 
locked  the  door  behind  her ;  and  there  she  waited  in 
the  presence  of  death.  The  casket  was  covered 
with  flowers ;  and  various  floral  designs  of  exquisite 
workmanship  —  all  the  tributes  of  loving  friends —i 
spoke  to  her  of  beauty  and  joy  where  all  tears  are 
wiped  from  the  eyes.  There  was  a  costly  tribute,  a 


428  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

most  elaborate  specimen  of  the  florist's  art,  from 
England's  queen,  accompanied  by  a  mourning  card, 
bearing  the  following  inscription  : — 

"  Queen  Victoria  to  the  memory  of  the  late  President  Garfield ; 
an  expression  of  her  sorrow  and  sympathy  with  Mrs.  Garfield  and 
the  American  nation. 

For  twenty  minutes  the  deeply  afflicted  woman 
remained  with  the  dead ;  when  she  came  forth,  pale 
and  wan,  but  without  a  tear.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  she  was  met  at  the  coffin  by  Him  who  was  ff  a 
man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with  grief; "  and  that 
she  took  leave  of  her  departed  husband  assured  that 
the  all-sufficient  One  would  bear  her  sorrows  and 
carry  her  grief.  (Is.  liii.  4.) 

The  funeral  ceremonies  on  Friday  were  short  and 
simple — singing,  reading  of  the  scriptures,  two 
prayers,  and  a  brief  address  by  his  pastor,  Dr. 
Powers.  The  singing  was  the  sweetest  for  the 
occasion  that  Washington  could  furnish,  the  piece 
rendered  being  a  favorite  hymn  of  the  deceased  : 
"Asleep  in  Jesus,  blessed  sleep  !"  His  pastor  said  : 

"The  cloud  so  long  pending  over  the  nation  has 
at  last  burst  upon  our  heads.  We  sit  half  crushed 
amid  the  ruin  it  has  wrought.  We  remember  with  joy 
his  faith  in  the  son  of  God,  whose  gospel  he  some 
times  himself  preached,  and  which  he  always  truly 
loved.  And  we  see  light  and  blue  sky  through 
cloud  structure,  and  beauty  instead  of  ruin  ;  glory, 
honor,  immortality,  spiritual  and  eternal  life,  in  the 
place  of  decay  and  death.  The  chief  glory  of  this 
man,  as  we  think  of  him  now,  was  his  discipleship 


FUNERAL  CEREMONIES.  429 

in  the  school  of  Christ.  It  is  as  a  Christian  that  we 
love  to  think  of  him  now.  It  was  this  which  made 
his  life  to  man  an  invaluable  boon,  his  death  to  us 
an  unspeakable  loss,  his  eternity  to  himself  an 
inheritance  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth 
not  away.  He  was  no  sectarian.  His  religion  was 
as  broad  as  the  religion  of  Christ.  He  was  a  sim 
ple  Christian,  bound  by  no  sectarian  ties,  and  wholly 
in  fellowship  with  all  pure  spirits.  He  was  a  chris- 
tologist  rather  than  a  theologist.  He  had  great 
reverence  for  the  family  relations.  His  example  as 
son,  husband,  and  father,  is  a  glory  to  this  nation. 
He  had  a  most  kindly  nature.  His  power  over 
human  hearts  was  deep  and  strong.  He  won  men 
to  him.  He  had  no  enemies.  The  hand  that  struck 
him  was  not  'the  hand  of  his  enemy,  but  the  enemy 
of  the  position,  the  enemy  of  the  country,  the 
enemy  of  God.  He  sought  to  do  right,  manward 
and  Godward.  He  was  a  grander  man  than  we 
knew.  He  wrought  even  in  his  pain  a  better  work 
for  the  nation  than  we  can  now  estimate.  He  fell 
at  the  height  of  his  achievements,  not  from  any 
fault  of  his ;  but  we  may  in  some  sense  reverently 
apply  to  him  the  words  spoken  of  his  dear  Lord  : 
'He  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions;  he  was 
bruised  for  our  iniquities ;  the  chastisement  of  our 
peace  was  upon  him.'  As  the  nations  remembered 
the  Macedonian  as  Alexander  the  Great,  and  the 
Grecian  as  Aristides  the  Just,  may  not  this  son  of 
America  be  known  as  Garfield  the  Good?  Our 
President  rests  ,•  he  had  joy  in  the  glory  of  work, 


430 


LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 


and  he  loved  to  talk  of  the  leisure  that  did  not  come 
to  him.  Now  he  has  it.  This  is  the  clay,  precious 
because  of  the  service  it  rendered.  He  is  a  freed 
spirit ;  absent  from  the  body,  he  is  present  with  the 
Lord.  On  the  heights  whence  came  his  help,  he 
finds  repose.  What  rest  has  been  his  for  these  four 
days  !  The  brave  spirit  which  has  cried  in  its  body, 
'  I  am  tired,'  is  where  the  wicked  cease  from  trou 
bling,  and  the  weary  are  at  rest.  The  patient  soul 
which  groaned  under  the  burden  of  the  suffering 
flesh  *O,  this  pain,'  is  now  in  a  world  without  pain. 
Spring  comes,  the  flowers  bloom,  the  buds  put  forth, 
the  birds  sing ;  autumn  rolls  round,  the  birds  have 
long  since  hushed  their  voices,  the  flowers  faded 
and  fallen  away,  the  forest  foliage  assumes  a  sickly, 
dying  hue ;  so  earthly  things  pass  away  and  what  is 
true  remains  with  God.  The  pageant  moves,  the 
splendor  of  arms  and  the  banners  glitter  in  the  sun 
light,  the  music  of  instruments  and  of  orators  swells 
upon  the  air.  The  cheers  and  praises  of  men 
resound.  But  the  spring  and  summer  pass  by,  and 
the  autumn  sees  a  nation  of  sad  eyes  and  heavy 
hearts,  and  what  is  true  remains  of  God.  '  The 
eternal  God  is  our  refuge,  and  underneath  are  the 
everlasting  arms.'  ' 

It  should  not  be  overlooked  that,  from  the  time  the 
president's  death  was  announced,  letters  and  tele 
grams  of  sympathy  and  condolence  came  to  Mrs.  Gar- 
field  and  Secretary  Elaine,  not  only  from  the  distin 
guished  officials  of  our  own  country,  —  governors, 
senators,  judges,  representatives,  and  other  public 


?>    FUNERAL   CEREMONIES.  431 

men,  —  but  also  from  the  rulers  of  almost  every  coun 
try  on  the  globe.  The  people  of  every  land  seemed  to 
feel  that  they  had  sustained  a  loss  in  the  death  of  the 
noble  man  ;  and  their  expressions  of  sympathy  were 
frank  and  full.  The  day  of  the  funeral  in  Cleve 
land,  Monday,  September  26th,  which  President 
Arthur  set  apart  as  a  fast,  was  observed  in  some 
foreign  countries,  where  people  assembled  in  large 
numbers  to  pay  their  tribute  of  respect  to  the 
lamented  Chief  Magistrate  of  the  United  States. 
The  courts  of  England,  Belgium,  and  Spain  went 
into  mourning.  It  was  an  unusual  expression  of 
tender  regard,  for  which  the  bereaved  American 
people  were  truly  grateful. 

At  the  close  of  the  obsequies  in  Washington  the 
remains  were  conveyed  to  the  train  waiting  to  bear 
them  to  Ohio ;  and  a  silent  and  tearful  procession 
followed  them  to  the  station,  through  streets  that 
were  thronged  with  people  and  mournful  with 
funeral  drapery.  At  five  o'clock,  all  that  was 
mortal  of  the  great  man  was  borne  away  from  the 
Capital,  where  he  was  inducted  into  the  presidential 
office  less  than  seven  months  before.  The  entire 
route  fram  Washington  to  Cleveland  was  made 
memorable  by  the  grateful  tributes  of  citizens 
gathering  in  numbers  from  one  to  ten  thousand  at 
the  different  railroad  stations,  with  the  emblems  of 
their  unfeigned  sorrow  draping  every  flag  and 
building. 

About  one  o'clock  P.  M.  the  funeral  train  rolled 
into  the  depot  at  Cleveland,  presenting  a  touching 


432  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

spectacle  to  the  assembled  multitude  there.  It  was 
so  deeply  draped,  from  the  locomotive  to  the  last 
car,  that  every  particle  of  brass  upon  the  engine 
and  wood  of  the  cars  was  concealed  by  crape.  The 
depot  itself  was  as  elaborate  in  its  symbols  of  death 
as  the  train  ;  and  the  fifty  thousand  people  gathered 
within  sight  were  moved  to  tears  by  the  mournful 
scene.  A  hearse  was  in  waiting  to  receive  the 
casket  and  bear  it  to  the  great  pavilion  that  had 
been  erected  upon  the  City  Park.  It  was  covered 
with  black,  and  drawn  by  four  black  horses,  attended 
by  the  four  colored  grooms  who  served  in  a  similar 
capacity  when  the  body  of  President  Lincoln  was 
conveyed  through  the  city.  As  soon  as  the  casket 
was  deposited  in  its  place  upon  the  costly  catafalque 
erected  in  the  centre  of  the  park,  the  vast  concourse 
of  people  began  to  pass  around  it  four  abreast,  dis 
appointed  indeed  that  the  face  of  their  beloved  pres 
ident  could  not  be  seen,  but  glad  to  pay  their 
honest  tribute  of  respect  to  his  precious  memory. 
Until  late  in  the  evening  the  solemn  procession  filed 
past  the  remains,  only  a  fractional  part  of  the  crowd, 
however,  having  yet  been  able  to  get  within  the 
park.  Again,  at  sunrise,  on  Sabbath  morning,  the 
procession  took  its  march,  four  abreast  still,  dividing 
at  the  foot  of  the  catafalque,  and  passing  it  by  twos 
on  either  side,  and  thus  continued  through  the  day 
until  the  military  closed  the  entrance  to  the  park  at 
nine  o'clock  in  the  evening.  Seventy-five  thousand 
people  composed  of  all  classes,  from  the  highest  to 
the  lowest,  from  the  wealthiest  to  the  poorest,  had 


FUNERAL  CEREMONIES.  433 

joined  the  march  of  honor  past  the  coffin,  and  yet  as 
many  more  turned  away  in  sad  disappointment. 

Monday,  the  time  of  the  funeral  in  Cleveland,  had 
been  appointed  by  President  Arthur  as  a  day  of 
fasting,  humiliation,  and  prayer ;  and  the  governors 
of  most  of  the  states  joined  in  the  request.  The 
governors  of  a  few  states  had  appointed  Friday,  the 
day  of  obsequies  at  Washington,  as  a  fast,  before 
the  president's  proclamation  was  issued ;  still  Mon 
day  was  regarded  as  the  funeral  day  for  the  nation, 
and  Cleveland  was  the  central  point  to  which  all 
hearts  turned.  Although  the  capacity  of  the  city  to 
accommodate  visitors  was  overtaxed  on  Saturday  and 
Sunday,  they  continued  to  come  on  Monday  morning 
by  rail  and  carriage,  every  sort  of  vehicle  being  used 
to  convey  them  from  the  surrounding  country.  What 
was  remarkable  to  witness  was  the  sad  countenances 
worn  by  the  vast  concourse  of  people,  nine  out  of 
ten  of  them  wearing  some  symbol  of  bereavement, 
the  most  common  one  being  a  good  portrait  of  the 
dead  man  on  a  piece  of  black  ribbon  for  males  to 
wear  upon  their  coats.  Almost  every  female  wore 
some  emblem  of  sorrow,  a  crape  bow  of  black  and 
white  upon  the  neck  being  the  most  general.  By 
the  time  of  the  funeral  ceremonies,  at  half-past  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  people  were  on  the  streets  to  witness  the 
pageant  moving  to  the  grave. 

Perhaps  no  city  in  the  world  was  ever  draped  so 
beautifully  and  expensively  before.  There  scarcely 
could  be  found  a  store,  shop,  or  dwelling  on  which 


434  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

some  visible  token  of  respect  for  the  dead  did  not 
appear.  The  streets,  too,  were  arrayed  in  the  deep 
est  mourning,  as  if  loving  relatives  of  the  deceased 
statesman  had  dressed  them  for  his  funeral.  Euclid 
Avenue,  six  miles  long,  —  one  of  the  longest,  widest, 
and  finest  avenues  in  the  country,  —  was  draped  in 
the  most  costly  manner  from  beginning  to  end.  It 
is  lined  the  whole  distance  with  the  richest  lawns, 
in  the  rear  of  which  stand  the  most  elegant  dwell 
ings  the  city  can  boast ;  and  the  drapery  that 
covered  these  costly  mansions  and  lawns  vied  in 
elegance  with  the  residences  themselves.  The 
splendid  trees  which  adorn  the  avenue  on  both 
sides  held  many  sable  symbols  on  their  green  and 
thrifty  boughs,  while  every  device  of  floral  art  ap 
peared  in  the  most  appropriate  and  costly  designs. 
It  was  through  this  avenue  that  the  funeral  pageant 
passed  to  the  cemetery ;  and  its  wonderful  mourn 
ing  attire  was  worthy  of  the  sad  occasion.  The 
floral  tributes  in  the  city,  especially  in  the  park  and 
around  the  catafalque,  were  too  many  and  elaborate 
to  be  described.  Fair  hands  of  the  city  had  wrought 
flowers  into  the  most  charming  pictures ;  and  other 
cities  and  towns  had  contributed  them  in  equally 
exquisite  forms,  till  it  seemed  as  if  the  florists  of  the 
world  had  exhausted  their  art  in  furnishing  beauti 
ful  pieces  for  the  greatest  day  of  sorrow  America 
ever  knew.  Cincinnati  alone  forwarded  two  car 
loads  of  floral  devices.  Enormous  arches  spanned 
every  entrance  to  the  public  square,  and  these  were 
covered  with  black  cloth,  relieved  with  bands  and 


FUNERAL   CEREMONIES.  435 


fringes  of  white,  while  flowers  wrought  into  such  pic 
tures  of  beauty  as  to  remind  beholders  of  fairy  fin 
gers,  lent  enchantment  to  the  view.  Each  arch  bore 
a  suitable  inscription  in  white  flowers.  It  is  quite  im 
possible  to  describe  the  display  of  flowers.  We  shall 
not  attempt  it,  except  to  say  that,  perhaps,  the  most 
attractive  design  of  all  was  the  pendant  from  the  arch 
at  the  western  gate.  A  large  cross-hiked  sword  of 
evergreen,  surmounted  by  a  white  dove,  formed  the 
basis  of  the  structure,  and  across  it  was  a  ladder  of 
white  immortelles.  There  were  eleven  rounds  to 
the  ladder,  emblematical  of  the  different  stages  of 
General  Garfield's  career.  On  the  lower  round  was 
inscribed  the  word  "  Chester  ;  "  on  the  second,  "  Hi 
ram  ;"  on  the  third,  "Williams;"  on  the  fourth, 
"Ohio  Senate;"  on  the  fifth,  "Colonel;"  on  the 
sixth,  "  General ;  "  on  the  seventh,  "  Congress  ;  " 
on  the  eighth,  "United  States  Senate;"  on  the 
ninth,  "President;"  on  the  tenth,  "Martyr;"  the 
eleventh  and  topmost  round  bore  no  inscription,  but 
was  heavily  shrouded  in  crape.  The  reader  of  this 
volume  will  readily  interpret  these  inscriptions,  since 
it  describes  our  hero  going  to  the  "  top  of  the  lad 
der." 

The  floral  designs  of  the  casket  were  numerous 
and  elegant.  None  were  brought  from  Washing 
ton  except  the  palms,  that  symbol  "  victory,"  and 
Victoria's  tribute.  All  others  were  the  contribution 
of  Ohio  ;  and  they  were  all  that  the  truest  love  and 
veneration  for  the  dead  could  ask. 

When  the  people  had  assembled  for  the  obsequies 


436  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE, 

on  the  park,  there  were  present  two  ex-Presidents 
of  the  United  States,  the  Cabinet,  and  Members  of 
Congress,  prominent  officers  of  the  army  and  navy* 
Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  Foreign  Ministers, 
Governors  and  ex-Governors  of  many  of  the  States, 
together  with  other  public  men  of  fame  from  various 
parts  of  the  country,  presenting,  perhaps,  the  most 
imposing  scene  of  the  kind  ever  witnessed.  Mrs 
Garfield,  with  the  aged  mother  of  the  President, 
and  other  members  of  the  family »  took  their  seats 
near  the  casket.  The  mother  had  not  seen  the 
President  since  she  left  Washington,  a  few  weeks 
after  his  inauguration ;  and  now  she  could  only  look 
upon  the  coffin  which  held  the  form  so  dear  to  her. 
As  if  moved  by  an  irrepressible  yearning  of  love, 
she  rose  and  stepped  to  the  head  of  the  casket,  and, 
covering  her  face  in  the  deep  folds  of  mourning  in 
which  she  was  clad,  she  poured  out  her  soul  in 
silent  grief  for  a  moment,  and  thousands  wept  wiih 
her. 

At  precisely  half-past  ten  o'clock  the  services 
opened  by  the  singing  of  Beethoven's  "  Funeral 
Hymn,"  by  the  Cleveland  Vocal  Society. 

"  Thou  art  gone  to  the  grave,  but  we  will  not  deplore  thee, 
Tho'  sorrow  and  darkness  encompassed  the  tomb ; 

The  Saviour  has  passed  thro'  its  portal  before  thee, 
And  the  lamp  of  His  love  is  thy  light  thro'  the  gloom." 

Scripture  selections  were  read  by  Bishop  Bedell  5 
Prayer  was  offered  by  Rev.  R.  C.  Houghton  \ 
another  hymn  was  sung  by  the  vocal  society  ;  when 
Rev.  Isaac  Errett,  D.D.,  of  Cincinnati,  according  to 


FUNERAL   CEREMONIES.  437 

a  promise  made  to  the  deceased  years  ago,  pro 
ceeded  to  deliver  an  able  and  eloquent  sermon  from 
a  text  that  seemed  to  have  been  inspired  for  this 
special  occasion.  (2  Chronicles  xxxv.  23-27  ;  Isaiah 
iii.  1-3 ;  xl.  6-8). 

The  sermon  was  followed  by  the  following  favor 
ite  hymn  of  General  Garfield  : — 

"  Ho  !  reapers  of  life's  harvest, 

Why  stand  with  rusted  blade 
Until  the  night  draws  round  thee 

And  the  day  begins  to  fade  ? 
Why  stand  ye  idle,  waiting 

For  reapers  more  to  come  ? 
The  golden  morn  is  passing  — 

Why  sit  ye,  idle,  dumb  ? 

Thrust  in  your  sharpened  sickle 

And  gather  in  the  grain  ; 
The  night  is  fast  approaching 

And  soon  will  come  again. 
The  master  calls  for  reapers — 

And  shall  he  call  in  vain  ? 
Shall  sheaves  lie  there  ungathered 

And  wasted  on  the  plain  ? 

Mount  up  the  heights  of  wisdom 

And  crush  each  error  low  ; 
Keep  back  no  words  of  knowledge 

That  human  hearts  should  know. 
Be  faithful  to  thy  mission, 

In  service  of  thy  Lord, 
And  then  a  golden  chaplet 

Shall  be  thy  just  reward." 

Dr.  C.  S.  Pomeroy  made  the  closing  prayer, 
when  the  remains  were  immediately  borne  to  the 
funeral  car,  which  was  a  very  imposing  carriage  in 


438  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

the  form  of  the  temple  of  liberty,  draped  in  black, 
and  having  at  each  corner  a  group  of  tattered  Ohio 
battle-flags,  among  them,  those  of  the  Forty-Second 
Ohio  Regiment,  which  General  Garfield  organized 
and  commanded.  It  was  drawn  by  twelve  black 
horses,  four  abreast,  wearing  mourning  plumes  on 
their  heads,  and  covered  with  heavy  black  cloth 
ornamented  with  silver  fringe.  Each  horse  was 
led  by  a  sable-liveried  colored  groom.  The  fam^y 
and  distinguished  citizens  present  immediately  fol 
lowed  the  casket  and  took  their  seats  in  carriages 
provided  for  them,  and  joined  the  procession.  The 
procession  had  been  forming  during  the  progress 
of  the  obsequies,  so  that  it  was  well  under  way 
when  the  services  closed.  Lake  View  Cemetery, 
where  General  Garfield  had  expressed  a  wish  to  be 
buried,  was  seven  miles  away,  and  when  the  head 
of  the  procession  reached  the  place  of  burial,  the 
end  of  it  was  still  in  the  city.  And  such  an  im 
pressive  pageant  no  one  present  ever  witnessed  be 
fore.  The  emblems  of  mourning,  the  brilliant  dress 
of  Knight  Templars,  Masonic  Lodges  and  other 
civilian  societies,  the  parade  of  richly  caparisoned 
cavalry  and  the  uniform  of  military  companies,  to 
gether  with  the  draped  and  expensive  carriages  of 
every  description  drawn  by  fine  horses  finely  ar 
rayed  in  appropriate  mourning  symbols  ;  and  bands 
of  music  touching  the  tender  hearts  of  the  multi 
tude  with  solemn  dirges,  —  all  this  constituted  such  a 
funeral  cortege  as  never  before  followed  King  or 
Queen  or  President  to  the  tomb. 


FUNERAL   CEREMONIES.  439 

At  the  cemetery  there  was  singing,  prayer,  an 
address  by  Rev.  J.  H.  Jones,  Chaplain  of  the  Forty- 
Second  Ohio  Regiment  when  General  Garfield  was 
its  commander,  and  benediction  by  President  Hins- 
dale,  of  Hiram  College,  where  the  deceased  laid 
the  foundation  of  his  education  as  well  as  the  foun 
dation  of  his  greatness. 

Thus  closed  a  day  of  mourning  that  has  no  par 
allel  in  American  history.  For,  it  should  not  be 
forgotten,  that  funeral  services  were  also  held  all 
over  the  country,  in  the  smallest  as  well  as  the 
largest  towns  ;  and  the  people  suspended  their 
industrial  pursuits,  and  repaired  to  their  churches 
and  halls,  where,  surrounded  with  sombre  draperies 
and  floral  tributes,  they  listened  to  funeral  sermons, 
eulogies,  prayers  and  hymns,  and  wept  over  their 
national  and  personal  loss.  The  previous  day,  too, 
the  Sabbath  of  rest  —  was  observed  in  every  part 
of  the  land  by  appropriate  memorial  services.  The 
people  assembled  in  their  places  of  worship,  in  larger 
numbers  than  usual,  and  listened  to  fitting  sermons 
upon  the  death  of  the  president.  Thousands  of  dis 
courses  were  preached  upon  this  melancholy  theme 
in  thousands  of  churches  draped  in  black  and  dec 
orated  with  flowers  for  the  occasion.  Altogether  it 
was  a  memorable  Sabbath  in  the  history  of  our 
Christian  land. 

The  sorrow  and  sympathy  among  all  lands  were 
without  precedent.  The  Department  of  State  fur 
nishes  the  following  correspondence  :  — 


440  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 


TOKIO,  Sept.  21. 
To  Yoshida,  Japanese  Minister,  Washington  : 

You  are  instructed  to  transmit  the  following  message  to  the 
Hon.  James  G.  Elaine,  Secretary  of  State : 

We  have  received  with  feelings  of  profound  sorrow  a  telegram 
from  our  Minister,  announcing  the  death  of  President  Garfield. 
The  favorable  reports  of  his  condition  we  have  from  time  to 
time  received  make  this  sad  announcement  the  more  unexpected 
and  painful.  In  the  name  of  His  Majesty,  we  tender  to  you  and 
the  sadly  bereaved  family  our  heartfelt  condolence  and  sympathy. 
INOUYE,  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs. 

To  Secretary  of  State,  Washington  : 

By  special  command  of  His  Majesty,  the  King  of  Italy,  now 
absent  in  the  northern  provinces,  the  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs 
communicates  to  me  the  expression  of  the  profound  regret  of  His 
Majesty,  and  of  the  Italian  nation,  for  the  death  of  our  late  chief 
magistrate.  MARSH. 

From  the  Acting  Governor-General  of  Canada  : 

OTTAWA,  Sept.  21. 

Be  pleased  to  convey  to  the  President,  and  through  him  to  the 
people  of  the  United  States,  the  deep  sympathy  felt  by  the  gov 
ernment  and  people  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  for  the  sad  loss 
the  people  of  the  United  States  have  sustained  in  the  melan 
choly  death  of  their  late  President. 

To  the  Secretary  of  State,  Washington,  D.  C  : 

The  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs  telegraphs  me  that  the  Sultan 
and  the  Ottoman  government  are  profoundly  grieved  at  the  death 
of  the  President  ;  and  His  Excellency  charges  me  to  present,  in 
the  name  of  His  Majesty  and  the  government  their  sincerest 
sympathy  to  Mrs.  Garfield,  and  the  government  of  the  United 
States.  ARISTARCHI. 


FUNERAL   CEREMONIES.  441 


To  Secretary  Elaine,  Washington  : 

Sympathy  in  Belgium  for  the  nation,  and  President  Garfield's 
family,  profound  and  universal.  The  King,  the  government  lega 
tions,  and  citizens  have  expressed  it.  PUTNAM,  Brussels. 

ROME,  Sept.  21. 

To  His  Excellency,  the  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs,   Wash 
ington  : 

The  loss  of  the  illustrious  President  Garfield  has  roused  a 
deep  sorrow  to  the  Holy  Father.  His  Holiness  directs  me  to 
present  his  condolence  to  Your  Excellency,  and  to  the  govern 
ment,  and  his  best  wishes  for  the  prosperity  of  the  republic. 

L.  CARDINAL  JACOBINI. 
To  President  Arthur: 

The  Anglo-Jewish  Association  deplores  the  loss  sustained  by 
the  American  nation,  and  offers  heartfelt  sympathy  to  the  Govern 
ment  and  people  of  the  United  States,  and  also  to  the  bereaved 
family  of  the  late  illustrious  president. 

BARON  DE  WORMS,  M.  P. 

The  Pall  Mall  Gazette  said : 

A  year  ago  to-day  not  one  Englishman  in  a  thousand  had 
heard  Garfield's  name.  To-day  there  will  scarcely  be  an  English 
man  in  a  thousand  who  will  not  read  of  his  death  with  regret  as 
real  and  as  deep  as  if  he  had  been  a  ruler  of  our  own.  A  com 
munion  of  sorrow  unites  the  members  of  the  English  race  to-day 
more  closely  than  it  has  ever  been  since  1776. 

GLASGOW,  Sept.  26. 

The  flags  were  at  half-mast,  and  the  bells  were  tolled  for  an 
hour,  the  principal  markets  have  closed  for  the  afternoon. 

MANCHESTER,  Sept,  26. 

Business  was,  to  a  great  extent,  suspended  to-day.  There  was 
a  funeral  service  in  the  Cathedral. 


442  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

LONDON,  Sept.  21. 

Every  hour  increases  the  evidence  that  the  present  is  the  most 
remarkable  demonstration  of  sympathy  ever  witnessed  in  Europe. 

As  we  recall,  in  conclusion,  the  wonderful  career 
of  the  man,  and  ponder  the  mysterious  Providence 
that  confronts  us  in  his  removal,  and  ask  the  mean 
ing  of  the  deep  and  universal  grief  at  his  burial,  we 
can  find  no  more  fitting  words  with  which  to  close 
this  record,  than  his  own  words,  in  the  National 
House  of  Representatives,  on  the  occasion  of  the 
first  anniversary  of  Lincoln's  death.  In  a  speech  of 
rare  beauty  and  eloquence  he  said, — what  applies 
with  remarkable  significance  to  himself,  — 

"  This  day  will  be  sadly  memorable  so  long  as  this 
nation  shall  endure,  which,  God  grant,  maybe  'till 
the  last  syllable  of  recorded  time,'  when  the  volume 
of  human  history  shall  be  sealed  up  and  delivered 
to  the  Omnipotent  Judge. 

•  ••••• 

"  His  character  is  aptly  described  in  the  words  of 
England's  great  laureate  written  thirty  years  ago, 
in  which  he  traces  the  upward  steps  of  some 

'  Divinely  gifted  man, 
Whose  life  in  low  estate  began, 
And  on  a  simple  village  green ; 

Who  breaks  his  birth's  invidious  bar, 
And  grasps  the  skirts  of  happy  chance, 
And  breasts  the  blow  of  circumstance, 

And  grapples  with  his  evil  star ; 


FUNERAL    CEREMONIES.  443 

Who  makes  by  force  his  merits  known, 
And  lives  to  clutch  his  golden  keys, 
To  mould  a  mighty  State's  decrees, 

And  shape  the  whisper  of  the  throne. 

And  moving  up  from  high  to  higher, 
Becomes  on  Fortune's  crowning  slope 
The  pillar  of  a  people's  hope, 

The  centre  of  a  world's  desire.' 

"  Such  a  life  and  character  will  be  treasured  for 
ever  as  the  sacred  possession  of  the  American  people 
and  of  mankind. 

"  Ah,  sir,  there  are  times  in  the  history  of  men 
and  nations  when  they  stand  so  near  the  veil  that 
separates  mortals  from  immortals,  time  from  eter 
nity,  and  men  from  their  God,  that  they  can  almost 
hear  the  beatings  and  feel  the  pulsations  of  the 
heart  of  the  Infinite.  Through  such  a  time  has  this 
nation  passed.  When  two  hundred  and  fifty  thou 
sand  brave  spirits  passed  from  the  field  of  honor 
through  that  thin  veil  to  the  presence  of  God,  and 
when  at  last  its  parting  folds  admitted  the  martyr 
President  to  the  company  of  the  dead  heroes  of  the 
Republic,  the  nation  stood  so  near  the  veil  that  the 
whispers  of  God  were  heard  by  the  children  of  men. 

"  Awe-stricken  by  his  voice,  the  American  people 
knelt  in  tearful  reverence  and  made  solemn  covenant 
with  Him  and  with  each  other  that  this  nation  should 
be  saved  from  its  enemies,  that  all  its  glories  should 
be  restored,  and  on  the  ruins  of  treason  and  slavery 
the  temples  of  freedom  and  justice  should  be  built, 


444  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

« 

and  should  survive  forever.  It  remains  for  us,  con 
secrated  to  that  great  event,  and  under  a  covenant 
with  God,  to  keep  that  faith,  to  go  forward  in  the 
great  work  until  it  shall  be  completed. 

"Following  the  lead  of  that  great  man,  and  obey 
ing  the  high  behests  of  God,  let  us  remember  that, — 

" '  He  has  sounded  forth  a  trumpet  that  shall  never  call  retreat ; 
He  is  sifting  out  the  hearts  of  men  before  His  judgment-seat ; 
Be  swift,  my  soul,  to  answer  him;   be  jubilant,  my  feet ; 
For  God  is  marching  on.' " 


XXVII. 
INCIDENTS  OF  HIS  MANHOOD. 

FITTING  close  of  this  volume  is  a  col 
lection  of  incidents  from  Garfield's  public 
life,  illustrative  of  the  qualities  we  have 
traced  in  his  early  struggles  for  a  liveli 
hood  and  education.  They  will  serve  to  establish, 
more  fully  if  possible,  the  drift  of  t>ur  effort;  viz., 

"  THE    BOY    IS    FATHER    OF   THE    MAN." 

The  thoughtful  consideration  that  he  devoted  to 
issues  of  importance,  and  the  deep  reverence  for  the 
Scriptures  that  was  begotten  in  his  soul  by  maternal 
training  and  the  grace  of  God,  appeared  in  the  cur 
rent  of  his  thoughts  and  acts  after  he  had  determined 
to  enter  the  army.  He  went  to  his  home  at  night 
thinking  of  his  dear  mother  and  dearer  wife  and 
child,  as  well  as  the  small  property  he  should  leave 
them  if  he  laid  down  his  life  on  the  battle-field. 
Opening  the  Bible  which  his  mother  gave  him,  to 
see  what  it  would  say  to  him  upon  the  subject,  he 
read,  and  read,  and  every  passage  seemed  like  the 
voice  of  God,  saying  to  him,  "  Go  !  Go  !  "  Far  into 

445 


LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


the  night  he  thought  and  read,  and  read  and  thought, 
more  and  more  satisfied  that  his  decision  was  in  the 
path  of  duty;  and,  before  the  dawn  of  morning,  he 
wrote  to  a  near  friend  as  follows  :  . 

"  I  have  had  a  curious  interest  in  watching  the  pro 
cess,  in  my  own  mind,  by  which  the  fabric  of  my  life 
is  being  demolished  and  reconstructed,  to  meet  the 
new  condition  of  affairs.  One  by  one  my  old  plans 
and  aims,  modes  of  thought  and  feeling,  are  found 
to  be  inconsistent  with  present  duty,  and  are  set 
aside  to  give  place  to  the  new  structure  of  military 
life.  It  is  not  without  a  regret,  almost  tearful  at 
times,  that  I  look  upon  the  ruins.  But  if,  as  the  re 
sult  of  the  broken  plans  and  shattered  individual 
lives  of  thousands  of  American  citizens,  we  can  see 
on  the  ruins  of  our  own  national  errors  a  new  and 
enduring  fabric  arise,  based  on  larger  freedom  and 
higher  justice,  it  will  be  a  small  sacrifice  indeed. 
For  myself,  I  am  contented  with  such  a  prospect, 
and,  regarding  my  life  as  given  to  the  country,  am 
only  anxious  to  make  as  much  of  it  as  possible  be 
fore  the  mortgage  upon  it  is  foreclosed." 

When  he  went  into  camp,  to  drill  his  regiment 
before  joining  the  army,  his  thoroughness  and  sys 
tematic  way  of  doing  things,  as  well  as  his  tact  and 
use  of  carpenters'  tools,  came  into  immediate  use. 
He  was  ignorant  of  military  tactics,  and  so  he  sat 
down  first  to  the  task  of  instructing  himself  before 
he  undertook  the  instruction  of  his  regiment. 
w  Bringing  his  saw  and  jack-plane  again  into  play, 
he  fashioned  companies,  officers,  and  non-commis- 


INCIDENTS  OF  HIS  MANHOOD.          447 

sioned  officers,  out  of  maple  blocks,  and,  with  these 
wooden-headed  troops,  thoroughly  mastered  the  in 
fantry  tactics  in  his  quarters.  Then  he  organized  a 
school  for  the  officers  of  his  regiment,  requiring  thor 
ough  recitation  in  the  tactics,  and  illustrating  the  ma 
noeuvres  by  the  blocks  he  had  prepared  for  his  own 
instruction.  This  done,  he  instituted  regimental, 
company,  squad,  skirmish,  and  bayonet  drill,  and 
kept  his  men  at  these  exercises  from  six  to  eight 
hours  a  day,  until  it  was  universally  admitted  that 
no  better  drilled  or  disciplined  regiment  could  be 
found  in  Ohio." 

His  decision  and  force  of  character,  so  noticeable 
in  his  early  life,  were  illustrated  by  the  promptness 
and  energy  with  which  he  met  a  singular  disappoint 
ment  on  the  day  his  regiment  left  Columbus  for  the 
seat  of  war.  By  some  mistake  or  misunderstanding 
he  had  not  reached  the  depot  when  the  train  started. 
Coming  up  within  five  minutes,  he  remarked  to  the 
superintendent  of  the  road,  "I  was  never  behind 
time  before  in  my  life,  and  I  will  not  be  now;"  and 
he  chartered  an  engine,  was  off  in  a  few  minutes, 
and  overtook  his  regiment  in  less  than  one  hour. 

Colonel  Garfield's  orders  were,  to  open  communi 
cation  with  Colonel  Cranor,  and  form  a  junction 
with  his  forces,  although  his  command  did  not  num 
ber  half  that  of  the  enemy.  The  first  indispensable 
thing  to  be  done  was  to  find  a  -trusty  messenger,  to 
bear  despatches  to  Colonel  Cranor.  He  must  be  a 
man  who  would  die  rather  than  betray  his  trust ;  for 
Colonel  Cranor  was  a  hundred  miles  away,  and  the 


448  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

messenger  must  go  through  a  region  inhabited  by 
disloyal  people,  and  infested  by  guerillas.  He  ap 
plied  to  Colonel  Moore,  of  the  Fourteenth  Kentucky. 

"  Have  you  a  man  who  will  die  rather  than  fail  or 
betray  us?'* 

"  I  think  I  have,"  the  Colonel  replied,  after  a  little 
reflection,  "John  Jordan." 

The  man  was  called,  a  strong-looking  fellow, 
tall  and  lean,  with  a  squeaking  voice,  his  speech  the 
uncouth  dialect  of  the  mountains,  where  he  was 
born  and  reared,  subject  to  the  hardest  toil  and  pri 
vation.  He  knew  much  of  nature,  in  whose  lap  he 
was  dandled,  but  very  little  of  books,  except  the 
"  Course  of  Time,"  and  the  Bible.  Some  officers 
would  have  thought  him  too  simple  for  a  spy,  or  ex 
pert  messenger ;  but  Garfield  read  him  in  a  minute, 
—  a  rude,  unlettered,  trusty,  Christian  man. 

"  Why  did  you  come  into  the  war?  "  at  last  asked 
the  colonel. 

"To  do  my  sheer  fur  the  kentry,  gin'ral,"  an 
swered  the  man.  "  And  I  didn't  druv  no  barg'in 
wi'  th'  Lord.  I  guv  him  my  life  squar'  out ;  and  ef 
he's  a  mind  ter  tuck  it  on  this  tramp,  why,  it's  a* 
his'n ;  I've  nothin'  ter  say  ag'in  it." 

"  You  mean  that  you've  come  into  the  war  not  ex 
pecting  to  get  out  of  it?  " 

"  That's  so,  gin'ral." 

"  Will  you  die  rather  than  let  the  despatch  be 
taken?" 

« 1  wull." 

"  Very  well ;  I  will  trust  you." 


INCIDENTS  OF  HIS  MANHOOD.  449 

Colonel  Garfield  wrote  his  despatch  on  tissue- 
paper,  rolled  it  into  the  form  of  a  bullet,  coated  it 
with  warm  lead,  and  delivered  it  to  Jordan.  At  the 
same  time  he  provided  him  with  a  carbine,  a  brace 
of  revolvers,  and  the  fleetest  horse  in  the  regiment. 
Jordan  started  upon  his  perilous  journey  at  night, 
after  the  moon  was  down.  He  was  to  ride  by  night, 
and  hide  in  the  woods,  or  rest  in  loyal  families, 
if  they  could  be  found,  by  day. 

Before  Jordan  returned,  another  incident  trans 
pired,  showing  how  great  service  Garfield's  life  on 
the  canal  was  to  him,  in  another  direction.  One 
day  a  loyal  scout  presented  himself  at  his  head 
quarters,  and  grasping  Colonel  Garfield's  hand,  ex 
claimed,  in  a  jolly  way, 

"Jim!" 

Garfield  looked  at  him  with  surprise,  for  a  mo 
ment,  but  did  not  recognize  him. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  he  inquired. 

w  Yer  old  companion,  Jim,"  answered  the  scout. 

"  My  old  companion  !  "  ejaculated  Garfield. 

"  Yis,  yer  old  companion !  Yer  see,  I  was  a 
scout  in  West  Virginia,  under  Rosecrans ;  and  hear 
ing  of  the  Sandy  Valley  expedition,  and  that  James 
A.  Garfield,  of  Ohio,  had  command  of  it,  I  thought 
as  how  that  must  be  my  old  companion  on  the  canal 
boat ;  and  so  I  made  tracks  for  yer." 

"Harry!"  exclaimed  Garfield,  shaking  his  hand 
heartily,  as  he  recognized  one  of  Captain  Letcher's 
crew,  whose  name  was  Henry  S.  Brown,  but  known 
as  "Harry  "  on  the  boat.  The  marks  of  a  very  dis- 


45° 


LOG-CABIN  T'O  WHITE  HOUSE. 


sipated  life  had  obliterated  the  traces  of  his  former 
self,  so  that  it  was  not  strange  that  Garfield  did  not 
recognize  him.  Brown  was  strongly  attached  to 
"Jim  "  on  the  canal,  and  now  he  desired,  above  all 
things,  to  serve  him. 

"  Colonel  Garfield,  "  at  length  Brown  said,  laying 
aside  the  familiar  title  by  which  he  was  known  on 
the  canal-boat,  and  addressing  him  respectfully,  as 
any  loyal  soldier  would  address  his  superior  officer, 
"  Colonel  Garfield,  I'm  at  yer  service." 

"Just  the  man  I  want  for  a  scout,"  answered  Gar- 
field,  heartily.  He  had  confidence  in  Brown  for 
that  business,  and  trusted  him  at  once.  He  knew 
the  country  thoroughly ;  and  Garfield  sent  him 
ahead  of  his  column  to  make  the  circuit  of  the  rebel 
camp,  and  learn,  if  possible,  the  strength  and  posi 
tion  of  Marshall's  army.  He  was  directed,  also,  to 
sweep  through  the  mountain  border  of  Virginia,  to 
learn  if  the  loyal  forces  were  threatened  from  that 
quarter.  Brown  departed,  and  Garfield  moved  for 
ward. 

On  the  following  night,  as  Garfield  lay  in  sound 
sleep,  about  midnight,  Jordan  came  riding  into 
camp  from  his  dangerous  trip.  Alighting  from  his 
foaming  steed,  he  rushed  into  his  commander's  quar 
ters,  and  shook  him  until  he  awoke. 

"What!  back  safe?"  exclaimed  Garfield,  as  soon 
as  he  recognized  Jordan.  "  Have  you  seen  Colonel 
Cranor?" 

"Yes,  colonel ;  he  can't  be  mor'n  two  days  ahind 
o'  me,  nohow." 


INCIDENTS  OF  HIS  MANHOOD.  451 

w  God  bless  you,  Jordan !  You  have  done  u? 
great  service,"  said  Garfield,  warmly. 

"  I  thank  ye,  colonel,"  answered  Jordan,  his  voice 
trembling  ; ;  "that's  more  pay  'n  I  expected." 

He  had  returned  safely  ;  but  the  Providence  which 
so  wonderfully  guarded  his  way  out  seemed  to  leave 
him  to  find  his  own  way  back ;  for,  as  he  expressed 
it,  "  The  Lord  he  cared  more  for  the  despatch  nor 
he  cared  for  me ;  and  it  was  nat'ral  he  shu'd ; 
'cause  my  life  only  counts  one,  but  the  despatch  —  it 
stood  for  all  Kentucky." 

The  use  of  Jordan  and  Brown  for  scouts  initiated 
Garfield  into  the  condition  of  a  successful  "  secret 
service."  When  he  became  chief  of  General  Rose- 
crans'  staff  he  organized  a  "  secret  service,"  which 
Rosecrans  called  "  the  eyes  of  the  army ; "  and  it 
was  acknowledged  to  be  the  most  complete  and 
efficient  scout  system  of  the  war. 

The  Atlantic  Monthly,  of  October,  1865,  con 
tained  a  detailed  account  of  Jordan's  wonderful  trip, 
and  it  closed  by  leaving  the  hero  in  some  unknown 
grave-yard  —  dead.  But  two  years  afterwards  he 
turned  up,  and  wrote  to  General  Garfield  that  he 
was  dead  only  on  paper,  and  that  he  still  had  a  life 
to  give  to  his  country. 

We  have  seen  that  Garfield  was  a  born  leader 
among  the  companions  of  his  youth,  and  that  the 
magnetism  of  his  personal  presence  inspired  hearts 
around  him  with  a  kindred  spirit.  When  he  be 
came  a  teacher,  we  have  seen  that  he  excelled  other 
teachers  in  awakening  the  enthusiasm  of  his  pupils, 


452  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

and  leading  them  to  pursue  their  studies,  or  a  life- 
purpose,  with  singular  devotion.  It  was  equally  so 
in  the  army.  In  the  first  victorious  battle  that  he 
fought  —  that  of  Middle  Creek  —  many  incidents 
transpired  to  establish  this  fact. 

Colonel  Garfield  had  a  hundred  of  his  Hiram 
students  in  his  command.  As  soon  as  he  discovered 
where  the  main  rebel  force  lay  he  ordered  the  Hi 
ram  students  to  cross  the  rapid  stream,  and  climb 
the  ridge  opposite,  whence  the  rebel  fire  had  been 
the  hottest,  his  object  being  to  bring  on  a  battle. 
As  if  imitating  their  brave  commander,  who  never 
seemed  to  heed  danger,  or  to  think  of  himself,  the 
students  responded  with  a  cheer,  and  were  soon  up 
to  their  waists  in  the  cold,  wintry  river.  Once 
over,  they  started  up  the  rocky  ascent  with  a  yell, 
clinging  to  the  trees  and  underbrush  to  support 
themselves.  When  not  more  than  half  way  up  the 
ridge  two  thousand  rebel  rifles  opened  upon  them ; 
but  on  they  went,  and  up,  until  the  summit  was 
reached,  when  suddenly  the  hill  was  alive  with 
rebel  soldiers,  springing  from  ambush,  and  pouring 
a  deadly  fire  into  the  little  Spartan  band.  For  an 
instant  the  students  faltered,  but  the  shout  of  their 
leader,  Captain  Williams,  rallied  them. 

"  Every  man  to  a  tree !  Give  them  as  good  as 
they  send,  boys  !  " 

The  order  was  obeyed,  and  behind  the  huge  oaks 
and  maples  the  boys  stood  and  fired,  picking  off  the 
confederates,  one  by  one.  As  yet,  not  one  of  the 
Hiram  boys  has  fallen.  But  the  rebels  charge  upon 


INCIDENTS  OF  hl±>  MANHOOD.  453 

them,  and  drive  them  down  the  hill,  two  of  their 
number  falling,  one  to  rise  no  more.  A  Hiram  bo} 
turns  to  his  wounded  comrade  to  bear  him  away, 
when  a  rebel,  within  thirty  feet,  fires,  and  the  bullet 
strikes  a  tree  just  above  his  head.  The  Hiram  stu 
dent  takes  deliberate  aim,  and  sends  that  rebel  to 
his  account*  But  he  cannot  bear  away  his  comrade, 
for  the  rebels  are  upon  him.  He  joins  his  retreating 
companions  just  as  the  voice  of  the  heroic  Captain 
Williams  is  heard  again,  above  the  din  of  battle  • 

"To  the  trees  again,  my  boys  I  We  may  as  well 
die  here  as  in  Ohio  !  " 

To  the  trees  they  go,  and  succeed  in  turning  back 
the  rebel  advance,  and  driving  them  up  the  hill. 
Passing  the  wounded  Hiram  boy,  a  confederate  said 
to  him, 

"  Boy,  guv  me  yer  musket." 

"Not  the  gun,  but  the  contents,"  shouted  the 
brave  fellow  ;  and  the  confederate  fell  dead  at  his  feet. 

Another  rebel  raised  his  weapon  to  brain  the 
prostrate  student,  when  the  latter  seized  the  dead 
rebel's  gun,  at  his  feet,  and  shot  him  so  quickly  that 
the  rebel  scarcely  knew  what  hurt  him.  One  hour 
afterwards  the  boys  had  borne  their  bleeding  hero 
to  camp,  where  the  surgeon  proceeded  to  amputate 
his  limb. 

"Oh,  what  will  mother  do?"  exclaimed  the  pa 
triot,  in  the  midst  of  his  agony.  His  mother  was 
poor,  dependent  upon  her  son  for  support.  Two 
weeks  later  the  story  of  Charles  Carl  ton,  of  Frank 
lin,  Ohio,  was  told  in  the  Ohio  senate,  and  it  aroused 


454  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

the  state  to  lead  off  in  framing  statutes  to  aid  the 
widows  and  mothers  of  its  soldiers. 

Colonel  Garfield  ordered  five  hundred  soldiers 
forward  to  support  the  Hiram  valiants.  With  a 
shout  they  plunged  into  the  stream,  holding  their 
cartridge-boxes  above  their  heads. 

"  Hurrah  for  Williams,  and  the  Hiram  boys  I " 

But  four  thousand  muskets,  and  twelve  pieces  of 
artillery,  concentrate  a  fearful  fire  upon  them. 

"This  will  never  do,"  cried  Garfield;  "who  will 
volunteer  to  carry  the  other  mountain?  " 

"We  will,"  answered  Colonel  Moore,  of  the 
twenty-second  Kentucky.  M  We  know  every  inch 
of  the  ground." 

"  Go  in,  then,  and  give  them  Hail  Columbia  I " 
Garfield  shouted. 

And  they  did ;  a  similar  fight  on  the  other  ridge, 
the  loyal  troops  behind  trees,  picking  off  the  rebels 
whose  heads  peered  above  the  rocks.  Cooler  men 
never  served  in  w*ar. 

"Do  you  see  that  reb?"  said  one  comrade  to  an 
other.  "  Hit  him  while  I'm  loading." 

Another  was  raising  his  cartridge  to  his  mouth 
when  a  rebel  bullet  cut  away  the  powder,  leaving 
the  lead  in  his  fingers.  Shielding  his  arm  with  his 
body,  he  says,  as  he  reloads, 

"  There,  see  if  you  can  hit  that?  " 

Another  took  out  a  piece  of  hard  tack,  and  a  ball 
cut  it  to  pieces  in  his  hand. 

He  coolly  swallowed  the  remnant,  and  fired  at  his 
foe.  One  was  brought  down  by  a  rebel  bullet  in  his 


INCIDENTS   OF  HIS  MANHOOD.  455 

knee ;  but,  with  rifle  still  in  hand,  he  watched  for 
the  man  who  shot  him.  The  rebel's  head  soon  ap 
peared  above  the  rock,  and  the  two  fired  at  the  same 
moment.  The  loyal  soldier  was  hit  fatally  in  the 
mouth.  When  his  comrades  were  bearing  him 
away,  he  spoke  out, 

w  Never  mind,  that  secesh  is  done  for." 

When  the  confederate  was  found,  on  the  following 
day,  the  upper  part  of  his  head  was  shot  away  by 
the  other's  fatal  charge. 

So  the  battle  raged,  the  loyal  forces  advancing, 
and  then  retreating,  until  the  fate  of  the  little  union 
army  seemed  to  hang  in  the  balance,  when  Garfield, 
standing  on  a  rock  that  was  scarred  by  a  thousand 
bullets,  and  from  which  he  could  take  in  the  whole 
scene,  with  his  head  uncovered,  and  his  hair  stream 
ing  in  the  wind,  his  face  upturned  in  earnest  prayer 
for  Sheldon  and  his  forces,  (expected  reinforce 
ments,)  turned  to  his  hundred  men,  held  back  as 
icserves,  exclaiming,  as  he  tossed  his  outer  coat  into 
a  tree, 

"  Come  on,  boys  I  we  must  give  them  Hail  Colum 
bia!" 

And  they  rushed  to  the  succor  of  the  forlorn  hope, 
just  as  the  sun  was  sinking  behind  the  western  hills ; 
when  lo !  a  look  to  the  northward  revealed  to  Gar- 
field  the  star  spangled  banner  waving  among  the 
trees  1  It  was  Sheldon  and  his  reinforcements,  just 
in  season  to  turn  the  tide  of  battle.  The  rebel  com 
mander  sounded  "  retreat ! "  but  had  scarcely  given 


456  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

the  order  when  six  loyal  bullets  pierced  his  body, 
and  he  fell  dead. 

"God  bless  you,  boys;  you  have  saved  Ken 
tucky  ! "  shouted  Garfield  to  his  troops,  when  they 
ceased  pursuing  the  retreating  confederates. 

We  learned  before  that  President  Lincoln  made 
Garfield  brigader-general  for  gallant  services  in  this 
battle.  The  President  was  much  depressed  at  the 
time  of  this  victory,  because  of  repeated  disasters  to 
our  arms  in  the  "  Department  of  the  East."  A  dis 
tinguished  army  officer  was  present  with  him  when 
he  received  the  news  of  this  victory,  and  Mr.  Lin 
coln  said  to  the  officer, 

w  Why  did  Garfield,  in  two  weeks,  do  what  would 
have  taken  one  of  your  regular  officers  two  months  to 
accomplish?" 

"  Because  he  was  not  educated  at  West  Point,"  re 
plied  the  West  Pointer,  laughingly. 

"  No,"  answered  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  that  was  not  the 
reason.  It  was  because,  when  he  was  a  boy,  he  had 
to  work  for  a  living." 

After  the  battle  of  Middle  Creek,  Garfield's  soldiers 
were  exhausted,  and  short  of  rations.  The  roads 
were  well-nigh  impassable,  because  of  the  deep  mud, 
and  the  Big  Sandy  was  swollen  to  a  torrent,  render 
ing  the  delivery  of  supplies  difficult.  Something 
must  be  done.  Garfield  proposed  to  go  down  the 
river  to  hurry  up  supplies,  but  the  oldest  boatmen 
refused,  saying,  "  Impossible,  it  can't  be  done  1 " 

Brown,  the  scout,  had  returned,  and  Garfield 
opened  the  subject  to  him. 


INCIDENTS  OF  HIS  MANHOOD.  457 

"  What  do  you  think  of  it,  Brown?  The  boatmen 
say  that  it  is  sure  death ;  what  do  you  say?  You 
and  I  know  something  about  boating." 

The  scouts  reply  was  characteristic.  w  Its  which 
and  tother,  Gineral  Jim ;  starvin'  or  drownin'.  I'd 
rather  drown  nor  starve.  So,  guv  the  word,  and, 
dead  or  alive,  I'll  git  down  the  river  I" 

"All  right,  Harry,  we'll  go  !  "  And  they  sprang 
into  a  small  skiff,  and  committed  their  lives  to  the 
raging  torrent.  It  was  a  fearful  sail,  but  they  reached 
the  mouth  of  the  Big  Sandy  in  safety ;  and  here 
Garfield's  experience  on  the  canal  boat  served  him 
well.  There  he  found  a  small,  rickety  steamer, 
named  "  Sandy  Valley,"  tied  up  at  Catletsburg. 

"  I  am  under  the  necessity  of  taking  possession 
of  your  steamer  to  carry  supplies  to  my  troops, " 
Colonel  Garfield  said  to  the  captain,  who  was  a  se 
cessionist,  and  who,  of  course,  would  have  pre 
ferred  that  his  troops  should  starve  rather  than  to 
feed  them. 

"  This  craft  can't  stem  such  a  current,  no  how ;  it'll 
be  the  death  on  us,"  the  captain  replied.  There  was 
some  reason  for  his  saying  this,  for  the  water  in  the 
channel  was  sixty  feet  deep,  so  swollen  that  trees 
along  the  banks  were  submerged  nearly  to  their  tops. 

"Nevertheless,  I  must  have  this  steamer,  and  I 
will  assume  the  command  ;  "  and  so  saying,  Garfield 
ordered  the  captain  and  crew  on  board,  took  his  sta 
tion  at  the  helm,  placed  Brown  at  the  bow,  with  a 
long  fending  pole,  to  keep  one  eye  on  the  floating 
logs  and  uprooted  trees,  and  the  other  on  the  rebel 


458  LOG-CABfN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

captain.  The  steamer  was  loaded  with  provisions, 
and  started  up  the  river  with  Captain  (not  Colonel 
just  now)  Garfield  in  command.  We  learned  in  the 
course  of  our  narrative  that  once  he  desired  to  com 
mand  some  sort  of  water-craft,  and  now  his  early 
hopes  were  realized. 

When  night  came  on,  it  was  dark  and  tempestu 
ous,  and  the  captain  said, 

"  The  boat  must  be  tied  up  to-night,  can't  live  in 
such  a  time ;  it  is  madness  to  keep  on." 

"  But  I  am  captain  of  this  steamer  now,"  responded 
Garfield ;  "  keep  to  your  duty  and  I  will  keep  to 
mine.  We  don't  tie  up  boats  in  such  a  crisis  as  this. 
Freshen  the  fires  men,  and  put  on  the  steam."  And 
he  kept  the  steamer  on  its  way. 

Finally,  in  turning  a  bend  in  the  river,  the  steamer 
swept  round  and  grounded  on  a  bar  of  quicksand. 
The  usual  efforts  were  made  to  relieve  her,  but  in 
vain.  And  now  that  tact  and  sound  common  sense 
for  which  we  have  seen  that  Garfield  was  distin 
guished  from  boyhood,  came  to  his  rescue. 

"  Get  a  line  to  the  opposite  shore  ! "  commanded 
Garfield,  particularly  addressing  the  sulky  captain. 

"  A  line  to  that  shore  !  "  shouted  the  rebel  captain 
in  reply.  "  It's  death  on  any  man  that  'tempts  it." 

"It  can  be  done,  and  it  must  be  done,"  cried  Gar- 
field  ;  and  he  leaped  into  the  yawl,  calling  Brown  to 
follow,  and  steered  for  the  shore.  The  wild  torrent 
swept  them  down  the  stream  a  short  distance,  but 
they  rallied  by  almost  superhuman  strength,  reached 
*he  shore,  fastened  the  line,  constructed  a  windlass, 


TNCf DENTS  OF  HfS  MANHOOD.  459 

and,  in  a  short  time,  the  steamer  was  drawn  from  her 
bed  in  the  mud,  and  was  on  her  triumphant  way  up 
the  stream.  From  Saturday  until  nine  o'clock  Mon 
day  morning  Garfield  stood  at  the  wheel,  night  and 
day ;  and  when  he  reached  Paintsville  his  troops 
were  reduced  almost  to  their  last  cracker*  His  ex 
perience  with  rough  men  at  the  "  Black-salters," 
and  on  the  canal,  qualified  him  to  deal  with  such  a 
rebel  as  the  captain  of  the  "  Sandy  Valley." 

W/ien  the  steamer  drew  up  to  the  Union  camp 
Garfield's  men  were  almost  frantic  with  joy.  They 
cheered  and  yelled,  and  seized  their  brave  com 
mander,  and  would  have  borne  him  upon  their 
shoulders  to  head-quarters  had  he  not  resolutely 
protested  against  it. 

Brown,  the  scout,  came  to  a  melancholy  end. 
General  Garfield  wrote  about  him,  May  31,  1864, 
as  follows : 

"  When  we  first  met  he  recognized  me  as  an  old 
acquaintance  on  the  Ohio  canal.  He  at  once  took  a 
sort  of  enthusiastic  pride  in  me,  and  with  a  rough, 
generous  nature,  was  ready  to  make  any  personal 
sacrifices  to  aid  me  to  success.  He  was  not  trusted 
by  most  of  our  people ;  indeed,  many  of  them  at 
tempted  to  convince  me  that  he  was  not  only  a  ras 
cal,  but  a  rebel.  I  think  he  had  an  eye  for  a  good 
horse,  and  did  not  always  closely  distinguish  be 
tween  meum  and  tmim;  but  my  remembrance  of  him 
on  the  canal,  together  with  a  feeling  that  he  loved 
me,  made  me  trust  him  implicitly.  I  think  he  was 
never  perfectly  happy  till  he  helped  me  to  navigate 


460  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

the  little  steamer  up  the  Big  Sandy  in  the  high 
water.  Indeed,  I  could  not  have  done  that  without 
his  aid.  He  was  about  forty  years  old ;  a  short, 
stocky,  sailor-looking  fellow,  somewhat  bloated  with 
hard  drinking ;  in  short,  he  was  a  rare  combination 
of  good  and  bad  qualities,  with  strong  traits,  a 
ruined  man ;  and  yet,  underneath  the  ruins,  a  great 
deal  of  generous,  self-sacrificing  noble-heartedness, 
which  made  one  deplore  his  fall,  and  yet  like  him. 
He  went  north,  on  some  personal  business,  just  before 
I  left  the  Sandy  Valley,  and  I  received  a  dirty  note 
from  him,  written  from  Buffalo,  in  which  he  said 
he  should  meet  me  somewhere  in  'the  tide  of  battle/ 
and  fight  by  my  side  again ;  but  I  have  not  heard 
from  him  since." 

Another  says  : 

"This  was  in  1864.  Ten  years  afterward,  as 
General  Garfield  was  about  to  deliver  an  address  at 
Cornell,  a  heavy  hand  was  laid  upon  his  shoulder, 
and,  turning  about,  he  saw  his  ex-scout  and  old 
boat-companion.  He  was  even  a  more  perfect  ruin 
than  before  —  with  bleared  eyes,  bloated  face,  and 
garments  that  were  half  tatters.  He  had  come,  he 
said,  while  the  tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks,  to  that 
quiet  place  to  die,  and  now  he  could  die  in  peace, 
because  he  had  seen  his  'gineral.' 

"  Garfield  gave  him  money,  and  got  him  qua-ters 
among  some  kind  people,  and  left  him,  telling  him 
to  try  to  be  a  man :  but,  in  any  event,  to  let  him 
know  if  he  ever  needed  further  help.  A  year  or 
more  passed,  and  no  word  came  from  Brown;  but 


INCIDENTS  OF  HIS  MANHOOD. 


then  the  superintendent  of  the  public  hospital  at  Buf 
falo  wrote  the  general  that  a  man  was  there  very 
sick,  who,  in  his  delirium,  talked  of  him,  of  the 
Ohio  Canal,  and  of  the  Sandy  Valley  expedition, 
Garfield  knew  at  once  that  it  was  Brown,  and  imme 
diately  forwarded  funds  to  the  hospital,  asking  ths* 
he  should  have  every  possible  care  and  comforL 
The  letter  which  acknowledged  the  remittance  an 
nounced  that  the  poor  fellow  had  died  —  died,  mut 
tering,  in  his  delirium,  the  name  '  Jim  Garfield.' 

"  Garfield  gave  him  a  decent  burial,  and  this  was 
the  last  of  the  poor  fellow." 

General  Garfield's  tact,  sagacity,  fidelity,  spirit  of 
self-sacrifice,  and  undaunted  courage,  so  conspicu 
ous  in  his  early  life,  are  illustrated  by  his  famous 
ride  from  General  Rosecrans  to  General  Thomas, 
when  the  army  of  the  Cumberland  was  almost 
routed  in  the  famous  battle  of  Chickamauga.  It 
was  necessary  for  General  Thomas  to  know  the  dis 
aster  that  had  befallen  Rosecrans'  forces,  in  order  to 
meet  the  rebel  General  Longstreet  victoriously. 
Garfield  proposed  to  undertake  the  fearful  ride. 
Edmund  Kirk,  war  correspondent  of  the  "New  York 
Tribune,"  described  it  as  follows  : 

"  Rosecrans  hesitates,  then  says,  '  As  you  v»ill, 
general;'  and  then,  reaching  Garfield  his  hand,  he 
adds,  while  his  face  shows  his  emotion,  '  We  may 
uot  meet  again  ;  good-bye  ;  God  bless  you  !  '  Though 
one  of  the  bravest  men  and  ablest  soldiers  that  ever 
lived,  Rosecrans  has  a  heart  as  tender  and  gentle  as 
a  woman's.  He  thinks  Garfield  is  going  to  well- 


462  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

nigh  certain  death,  and  he  loves  him  as  David  loved 
Jonathan.  Again  he  wrings  his  hand,  and  then 
they  part —  Rosecrans  to  the  rear,  to  rally  his  broken 
troops,  Garfield  to  a  perilous  ride  in  pursuit  of 
Thomas. 

"  Captain  Gaw  and  two  of  his  orderlies  go  with 
Garfield  to  guide  the  way.  They  make  a  wide 
detour  to  avoid  the  Confederates,  and,  by  the  route 
they  take,  it  is  eight  miles  of  tangled  forest  and  open 
road  before  they  get  to  Thomas,  and  at  any  turn 
they  may  come  upon  the  enemy. 

"At  Rossville  they  take  the  Lafayette  Road, 
guiding  their  way  by  the  sound  of  the  firing,  and 
moving  cautiously,  for  they  are  now  nearing  the 
battle-field.  The  road  here  is  scarcely  more  than  a 
lane,  flanked  on  one  side  by  a  thick  wood,  and  on 
the  other  by  an  open  cotton-field.  No  troops  are  in 
sight,  and  on  they  gallop  at  a  rapid  pace ;  and  they 
have  left  Rossville  a  thousand  yards  behind,  when 
suddenly,  from  along  the  left  of  the  road,  a  volley  of 
a  thousand  Minie-balls  falls  among  them,  thick  as 
hail,  wounding  one  horse,  killing  another,  and 
stretching  the  two  orderlies  on  the  ground  lifeless. 
They  have  ridden  into  an  ambuscade  of  a  large 
body  of  Longstreet's  skirmishers  and  sharp-shooters,, 
who,  entering  the  fatal  gap  in  the  right  centre,  have 
pressed  thus  far  upon  the  flank  of  Thomas. 

"  Garfield  is  mounted  on  a  magnificent  horse,  that 
knows  his  rider's  bridle-hand  as  well  as  he  knows 
the  route  to  his  fodder.  Putting  spurs  to  his  side,  he 
leaps  the  fence  into  the  cotton-field.  The  opposite 


INCIDENTS  OF  HIS  MANHOOD  463 

fence  is  lined  with  gray  blouses,  and  a  single  glance 
tells  him  that  they  are  loading  for  another  volley. 
He  has  been  in  tight  places  before,  but  this  is  the 
tightest.  Putting  his  lips  firmly  together,  he  says  to 
himself,  'Now  is  your  time;  be  a  man,  Jim  Gar- 
field  ! '  He  speaks  to  his  horse,  and  lays  his  left 
hand  gently  on  the  rein  of  the  animal.  The  traine^ 
beast  yields  kindly  to  his  touch;  and,  putting  the 
rowels  into  his  side,  Garfield  takes  a  zigzag  course 
across  the  cotton-field.  It  is  his  only  chance ;  he 
must  tack  from  side  to  side,  for  he  is  a  dead  man  if 
they  get  a  steady  aim  upon  him. 

M  He  is  riding  up  an  inclined  plane  of  about  four 
hundred  yards,  and  if  he  can  pass  the  crest,  he  is  in 
safety.  But  the  gray  fellows  can  load  and  fire  twice 
Defore  he  reaches  the  summit,  and  his  death  is  a 
thing  certain,  unless  Providence  has  more  work  for 
him  to  do  on  this  footstool.  Up  the  hill  he  goes, 
tacking,  when  another  volley  bellows  from  out  the 
timber.  His  horse  is  struck,  —  a  flesh  wound,  —  but 
,the  noble  animal  only  leaps  forward  the  faster.  Scat 
tering  bullets  whiz  by  his  head,  but  he  is  within  a 
few  feet  of  the  summit.  Another  volley  echoes  along 
the  hill  when  he  is  half  over  the  crest,  but  in  a  mo 
ment  more  he  is  in  safety.  As  he  tears  down  the 
slope,  a  small  body  of  mounted  blue-coats  gallop  for 
ward  to  meet  him.  At  their  head  is  General  Dan 
McCook,  his  face  anxious  and  pallid.  *  My  God, 
Garfield?'  he  cries,  '  I  thought  you  were  killed,  cer 
tain.  How  you  have  escaped  is  a  miracle.' 

"  Garfield's  horse  has  been  struck  twice,  but  he  is 
26 


464  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

good  yet  for  a  score  of  miles ;  and  at  a  breakneck 
pace  they  go  forward,  through  ploughed  fields  and 
tangled  forests,  and  over  broken  and  rocky  hills,  for 
four  weary  miles,  till  they  climb  a  wooded  crest,  and 
are  within  sight  of  Thomas.  In  a  slight  depression 
of  the  ground,  with  a  group  of  officers  about  him,  he 
stands  in  the  open  field,  while  over  him  sweeps  the 
storm  of  shotted  fire  that  falls  in  thick  rain  on  the 
high  foot-hill  which  Garfield  is  crossing.  Shot  and 
shell  and  canister  plow  up  the  ground  all  about  Gar- 
field  ;  but  in  the  midst  of  it  he  halts,  and  with  up 
lifted  right  arm,  and  eyes  full  of  tears,  he  shouts,  as 
he  catches  sight  of  Thomas,  '  There  he  is  !  God 
bless  the  old  hero  !  he  has  saved  the  army  ! ' 

"For  a  moment  only  he  halts,  then  he  plunges 
down  the  hill  through  the  fiery  storm,  and  in  five 
minutes  is  by  the  side  of  Thomas.  He  has  come 
out  unscathed  from  the  hurricane  of  death,  for  God's 
good  angels  have  warded  off  the  bullets,  but  his 
noble  horse  staggers  a  step  or  two,  and  then  falls 
dead  at  the  feet  of  Thomas." 

Garfield's  terrible  ride  saved  the  army  of  the  Cum 
berland  from  remediless  disaster. 

Another  incident  illustrative  of  his  life-long  inde 
pendence  in  standing  for  the  right,  befriending  the 
down-trodden,  and  assailing  slavery,  was  his  refusal 
to  return  a  fugitive  slave.  One  of  his  staff  told  the 
story  thus : 

"  One  day  I  noticed  a  fugitive  slave  come  rushing 
into  camp  with  a  bloody  head,  and  apparently  fright 
ened  almost  to  death.  He  had  only  pas'sed  my  tent 


INCIDENTS  OF  HIS  MANHOOD.  465 

a  moment,  when  a  regular  bully  of  a  fellow  came 
riding  up,  and,  with  a  volley  of  oaths,  began  to  ask 
after  his  *  nigger/  General  Garfield  was  not  pres 
ent,  and  he  passed  on  to  the  division  commander. 
This  division  commander  was  a  sympathizer  with  the 
theory  that  fugitives  should  be  returned  to  their  mas 
ters,  and  that  the  Union  soldiers  should  be  made  the 
instruments  for  returning  them.  He  accordingly 
wrote  a  mandatory  order  to  General  Garfield,  in 
whose  command  the  slave  was  supposed  to  be  hid 
ing,  telling  him  to  hunt"  out  and  deliver  over  the 
property  of  the  outraged  citizen.  I  stated  the  case 
as  fully  as  I  could  to  General  Garfield  before  hand 
ing  him  the  order,  but  did  not  color  my  statement 
in  any  way.  He  took  the  order,  and  deliberately 
wrote  on  it  the  following  indorsement : 

' '  I  respectfully  but  positively  decline  to  allow  my 
command  to  search  for  or  deliver  up  any  fugitive 
slaves.  I  conceive  that  they  are  here  for  quite 
another  purpose.  The  command  is  open,  and  no 
obstacles  will  be  placed  in  the  way  of  search/  * 

"  I  read  the  indorsement  and  was  frightened.  I 
expected  that,  if  returned,  the  result  would  be  that 
the  general  would  be  court-martialed-  I  told  him 
my  fears.  He  simply  replied :  '  The  matter  may 
as  well  be  tested  first  as  last.  Right  is  right,  and  I 
do  not  propose  to  mince  matters  at  all.  My  soldiers 
are  here  for  other  purposes  than  hunting  and  return 
ing  fugitive  slaves.  My  people,  on  the  Western 
Reserve  of  Ohio,  did  not  send  my  boys  and 
myself  down  here  to  do  that  kind  of  business, 


466  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

and  they  will  back  me  up  in  my  action.'  He  would 
not  alter  the  indorsement,  and  the  order  was  re 
turned.  Nothing  ever  came  of  the  matter  further." 

In  the  beginning  of  our  story,  we  learned  that  one 
of  Garfield's  first  teachers  told  him,  (patting  him  on 
the  head,)  "You  may  make  a  general,  if  you  learn 
well."  He  did  not  understand  the  meaning  of  it  at 
the  time,  but  he  knows  all  about  it  now.  Nor  is  it 
difficult  to  understand  how  his  early  opportunities  to 
study  human  nature,  his  ability  to  read  character, 
his  tact  and  experience  in  disciplining  and  drilling  a 
large  school,  fitted  him  for  a  successful  general. 

His  life  in  congress  abounds  in  thrilling  incidents 
of  moral  courage,  loyalty,  and  defence  of  right. 
"  Peace  hath  her  victories  no  less  renowned  than 
war." 

One  of  the  first  important  measures  that  came  up, 
after  he  entered  congress,  was  a  Bounty  Bill  — 
offering  men  a  sum  of  money,  in  addition  to  the 
regular  army  pay,  to  become  soldiers,  instead  of 
drafting  and  forcing  them  to  serve.  The  Bounty 
Bill  was  very  popular  with  his  own  party,  and  draft 
ing  was  very  unpopular.  General  Garfield  did  not 
consider  the  popularity  or  unpopularity  of  the  meas 
ure  at  all,  but  he  opposed  it  with  all  his  might,  on 
the  ground  that  bounties  recruited  the  army  with  un 
reliable  soldiers,  necessitated  an  expense  that  the  gov 
ernment  could  not  long  endure ;  and  besides,  he 
claimed  that  the  government  had  a  right  to  the  ser 
vices  of  every  able-bodied  male  citizen,  from  eighteen 
to  forty -five  years  of  age,  and  they  should  be  drafted 


INCIDENTS  OF  HIS  MANHOOD.  467 

to  the  extent  of  the  country's  need.  When  the  vote 
was  taken,  Garfield  voted  against  his  own  part}, 
with  only  a  single  member  of  it  to  stand  with  him. 
A  few  days  thereafter,  Secretary  Chase  said  to  him  i 

"  General  Garfield  !  I  was  proud  of  your  vote  the 
other  day.  Your  position  is  impregnable;  but  let 
me  tell  you  it  is  rather  risky  business  for  a  mem 
ber  of  congress  to  vote  against  his  own  party." 

"  Risky  business,"  exclaimed  Garfield,  "  for  a  man 
to  stand  upon  his  conscience  !  His  constituents  may 
leave  him  at  home,  but  what  is  that  compared  with 
trampling  upon  his  convictions?" 

A  few  days  afterwards,  President  Lincoln  went 
before  the  military  committee,  of  which  Garfield  was 
a  member,  and  told  them  what  he  did  not  dare  to 
breathe  to  the  country  : 

"  In  one  hundred  days,  three  hundred  and  eighty 
thousand  soldiers  will  be  withdrawn  from  our  army, 
by  expiration  of  the  time  of  their  enlistment.  Unless 
congress  shall  authorize  me  to  fill  up  the  vacancy 
by  draft,  I  shall  be  compelled  to  recall  Sherman 
from  Atlanta,  and  Grant  from  the  Peninsula." 

Some  of  the  committee  endeavored  to  dissuade 
him  from  such  a  measure,  saying  that  it  would  en 
danger  his  re-election,  to  adopt  a  measure  so  unpop 
ular.  Mr.  Lincoln  stretched  his  tall  form  up  to  its 
full  height,  and  exclaimed, 

"Gentlemen,  it  is  not  necessary  that  I  should  be 
re-elected,  but  it  is  necessary  that  I  should  put  down 
this  rebellion.  If  you  will  give  me  this  law  I  will 
put  it  down  before  my  successor  takes  his  office." 


468  LOG-CABIN  TO  WLITE  HOUSE. 

A  draft-law  for  five  hundred  thousand  men  was 
reported  to  the  House,  when  Garfield  made  one  of 
his  most  eloquent  and  patriotic  speeches  in  its  favor, 
carrying  it  by  storm.  Congress  and  the  whole  coun 
try  soon  came  to  feel  that  Garfield  was  right. 

A  few  months  later,  Alexander  Long,  Democratic 
member  of  the  house  from  Ohio,  in  sympathy  with 
the  authors  of  the  rebellion,  rose  in  his  seat,  and 
proposed  to  recognize  the  southern  confederacy. 
This  treasonable  act  caused  Garfield's  patriotic 
blood  to  boil  in  his  veins,  and  he  sprang  to  his  feet 
and  delivered  one  of  the  most  powerful  philippics 
ever  heard  in  the  American  congress.  Calling  at 
tention  to  the  traitor  of  the  American  revolution, — 
Benedict  Arnold,  — he  said, 

"  But  now,  when  tens  of  thousands  of  brave  souls 
have  gone  up  to  God  under  the  shadow  of  the  flag ; 
when  thousands  more,  maimed  and  shattered  in  the 
contest,  are  sadly  awaiting  the  deliverance  of  death  ; 
now,  when  three  years  of  terrific  warfare  have  raged 
over  us  ;  when  our  armies  have  pushed  the  rebellion 
back  over  mountains  and  rivers,  and  crowded  it  into 
narrow  limits,  until  a  wall  of  fire  girds  it;  now, 
when  the  uplifted  hand  of  a  majestic  people  is  about 
to  hurl  the  bolts  of  its  conquering  power  upon  the 
rebellion;  now,  in  the  quiet  of  this  hall,  hatched  in 
the  lowest  depths  of  a  similar  dark  treason,  there 
rises  a  Benedict  Arnold,  and  proposes  to  surrender 
all  up,  body  and  spirit,  the  nation  and  the  flag,  its 
genius  and  its  honor,  now  and  forever,  to  the  ac 
cursed  traitors  to  our  country  I  And  that  proposition 


INCIDENTS  OF  HIS  MANHOOD.  469 

comes  —  God  forgive  and  pity  my  beloved  state  —  it 
comes  from  a  citizen  of  the  time-honored  and  loyal 
commonwealth  of  Ohio  1 

"  I  implore  you,  brethren  in  this  house,  to  believe 
that  not  many  births  ever  gave  pangs  to  my  mother 
state  such  as  she  suffered  when  that  traitor  was 
born  !  I  beg  you  not  to  believe  that  on  the  soil  of 
that  state  another  such  a  growth  has  ever  deformed 
the  face  of  nature,  and  darkened  the  light  of  God's 
day." 

This  single  paragraph  shows  the  spirit  of  this 
noble  effort. 

President  Lincoln  vetoed  a  bill,  in  1864,  pro\iding 
for  the  organization  of  civil  governments  in  Ar 
kansas  and  Louisiana,  and  appointed  military  gov 
ernors.  Many  Republicans  criticised  him  severely  ; 
among  them,  Garfield.  His  constituents  disapproved 
of  his  course,  and  resolved  not  to  renominate  him. 
The  convention  of  his  congressional  district,  the 
nineteenth  of  Ohio,  met,  and  General  Garfield  was 
called  upon  for  an  explanation.  When  he  went 
upon  the  platform,  the  delegates  expected  to  hear 
an  apology  from  him ;  but  instead,  he  boldly  de 
fended  his  course,  and  that  of  Wade  and  Davis,  who 
criticised  the  president  sharply  in  the  New  York 
Tribune ;  and  he  gave  the  reasons  for  his  action, 
adding, 

"  I  have  nothing  whatever  to  retract,  and  I  cannot 
change  my  honest  convictions  for  the  sake  of  a  seat 
in  congress.  I  have  great  respect  for  the  opinions 
of  my  constituents,  but  greater  regard  for  my  own 


47°  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

conscience.  If  I  can  serve  you  as  an  independent 
representative,  acting  upon  my  own  judgment  and 
convictions,  I  would  be  glad  to  do  so  ;  but  if  not,  1 
do  not  want  your  nomination  ;  I  would  prefer  to  be 
an  independent  private  citizen." 

It  was  the  coolest,  plainest,  most  fearless  speech, 
probably,  that  was  ever  made  before  a  nominating 
convention  in  Ohio.  Garfield  withdrew  from  the 
hall  as  soon  as  he  closed  his  speech.  No  sooner 
had  he  withdrawn,  than  a  delegate  arose  and  said, 

"  Mr.  President,  the  man  who  has  the  courage  to 
face  a  convention  like  that  deserves  a  nomination. 
I  move  that  General  Garfield  be  nominated  by  ac 
clamation." 

The  motion  was  carried  so  quickly,  and  by  such 
a  round  of  applause,  that  General  Garfield  heard  it 
before  he  reached  the  hotel. 

General  Garfield  prosecuted  a  European  tour  in 
the  summer  of  1868,  for  his  health.  On  his  return, 
he  found  his  own  congressional  district  running  wild 
with  the  heresy  of  paying  the  national  debt  in 
greenbacks.  The  convention  to  nominate  a  con 
gressional  candidate  was  pending ;  and  his  constit 
uents  knew  that  he  believed  in  paying  the  debt  with 
honest  money  —  gold.  Friends  told  him  that  his 
renomination  would  be  opposed  on  that  ground. 
They  proposed  to  give  him  a  public  reception,  but 
charged  him  not  to  express  his  views  on  that  subject, 
in  his  speech ;  when  called  out,  however,  he  struck 
at  once  upon  that  exciting  theme,  referring  to  the 


INCIDENTS  OF  HIS  MANHOOD.  471 

information  he  had  received  concerning  their  desire 
to  pay  the  national  debt  in  greenbacks,  and  said : 

"Much  as  I  value  your  opinions,  I  here  denounce 
this  theory  that  has  worked  its  way  into  this  state  as 
dishonest,  unwise,  and  unpatriotic ;  and  if  I  were 
offered  a  nomination  and  election  for  my  natural 
life,  from  this  district,  on  this  platform,  I  should 
spurn  it.  If  you  should  ever  raise  the  question  of 
renominating  me,  let  it  be  understood  you  can  have 
my  services  only  on  the  ground  of  the  honest  pay 
ment  of  this  debt,  and  these  bonds,  in  coin,  accord 
ing  to  the  letter  and  spirit  of  the  contract." 

In  the  campaign  of  1864,  he  went  into  Maryland 
to  speak,  on  the  invitation  of  Postmaster-general 
Creswell.  He  spoke  at  Chestertown.  Rebel  sym 
pathizers  in  the  crowd  threw  rotten  eggs  at  him. 
At  once  he  interjected  this  fearless  castigation  into 
his  speech : 

"  I  have  just  come  from  fighting  brave  rebels  at 
Chickamauga ;  I  shall  not  flinch  before  cowardly 
rebels  like  you." 

On  the  fourteenth  day  of  April,  1865,  President 
Lincoln  was  assassinated.  The  following  morning 
New  York  city  presented  a  scene  of  the  most  peril 
ous  excitement.  Placards  were  pasted  up  in  New 
York,  Brooklyn,  and  Jersey  City,  calling  upon  loyal 
citizens  to  meet  around  Wall-Street  Exchange,  at 
eleven  o'clock.  Thousands  came,  armed  with  re 
volvers  and  knives,  ready  to  avenge  the  death  of  the 
martyred  President.  Fifty  thousand  men  gathered 
there,  their  blood  boiling  with  the  fires  of  patriotism. 


47 2  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUbE. 

There  were  few  in  the  multitude  who  would  not 
strike  down  the  rebel  sympathizer  who  should  dare 
speak  a  word  against  Lincoln.  One  such  remarked 
to  another,  "  Lincoln  ought  to  have  been  shot  long 
ago."  He  was  not  suffered  to  repeat  it.  A  portable 
gallows  was  carried  through  the  crowd,  lifted  above 
their  heads,  the  bearers  muttering,  "  VENGEANCE  !  " 
as  they  went.  The  prospect  was  that  the  office  of 
the  "  World,"  a  disloyal  journal,  and  some  prominent 
sympathizers  with  the  rebellious  south,  would  be 
swallowed  in  the  raging  sea  of  passion.  The  wave 
of  popular  indignation  was  swollen  by  the  harangues 
of  public  speakers.  In  the  midst  of  the  terrible  ex 
citement,  a  telegram  from  Washington  was  read, — 
"  SEWARD  is  DYING."  For  an  instant,  vengeance 
and  death  upon  every  paper  and  every  man  opposed 
to  Lincoln  seemed  to  move  the  mighty  crowd.  Pos 
sibly  the  scene  of  the  French  revolution  would  have 
been  reproduced  in  the  streets  of  New  York,  had  not 
a  man  of  commanding  figure,  bearing  a  small  flag 
in  his  hand,  stepped  forward  and  beckoned  to  the 
excited  throng. 

"  Another  telegram  from  Washington  !  "  cried  hun- 
dieds  of  voices.  It  was  the  silence  of  death  that  fol 
lowed.  It  seemed  as  if  every  listener  held  his  breath 
to  hear. 

Lifting  his  right  arm  toward  heaven,  in  a  clear, 
distinct,  steady,  ponderous  voice,  that  the  multitude 
could  hear,  the  speaker  said  : 

"  Fellow  citizens :  Clouds  and  darkness  are  round 
about  Him  I  His  pavilion  is  dark  waters  and  thick 


INCIDENTS  OF  HIS  MANHOOD.  473 

clouds  of  the  skies  I  Justice  and  judgment  are  the 
habitation  of  His  throne  !  Mercy  and  truth  shall  go 
before  His  face  !  Fellow  citizens  :  God  reigns,  and 
the  Government  at  Washington  still  lives  I  " 

The  speaker  was  GENERAL  GARFIELD.  The 
effect  of  his  remarkable  effort  was  miraculous. 
Another  said  of  it: 

K  As  the  boiling  wave  subsides  and  settles  to  the 
sea  when  some  strong  wind  beats  it  down,  so  the 
tumult  of  the  people  sank  and  became  still.  As  the 
rod  draws  the  electricity  from  the  air,  and  conducts 
it  safely  to  the  ground,  so  this  man  had  drawn  the 
fury  from  that  frantic  crowd,  and  guided  it  to  more 
tranquil  thoughts  than  vengeance.  It  was  as  if  some 
divinity  had  spoken  through  him.  It  was  a  triumph 
of  eloquence,  a  flash  of  inspiration  such  as  seldom 
comes  to  any  man,  and  to  not  more  than  one  man 
in  a  century.  Webster,  nor  Choate,  nor  Everett, 
nor  Seward,  ever  reached  it.  Demosthenes  never 
equalled  it.  The  man  for  the  crisis  had  come,  and 
his  words  were  much  more  potent  than  Napoleon's 
guns  at  Paris." 

This  incident  illustrates  several  of  the  qualities  of 
Garfield's  character  that  we  have  seen  in  his  early 
life,  —  his  sagacity,  tact,  quick-witted  turn  for  an 
emergency ;  his  magnetic  power,  and  familiarity 
with,  and  confidence  in,  the  Bible.  All  along 
through  his  public  career  the  attainments,  habits, 
and  application  of  his  youth  contributed  to  his  mar 
velous  success. 

As  his  character  and  abilities  added  dignity  to  the 


474  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

office  of  janitor  and  teacher  in  his  early  manhood,  so 
they  have  dignified  ,all  the  offices  that  he  has  filled 
throughout  his  public  career. 

In  scholarship  and  familiarity  with  general  litera 
ture  Garfield  has  stood  without  a  peer  in  congress. 
Mr.  Townsend  said  of  him  :  "  Since  John  Qjiincy 
Adams,  no  President  has  had  Garfield's  scholar 
ship,  which  is  equally  up  to  this  age  of  wider  facts." 
A  Washington  writer  says  :  "  Few  public  men  in 
this  city  keep  up  literary  studies.  General  Garfield  is 
one  of  the  few."  Another  says,  "  Garfield  is  a  man 
of  infinite  resources.  He  is  one  of  the  half-dozen 
men  in  congress  who  read  books."  President  Hins- 
dale  says,  "  He  has  great  power  of  logical  analysis, 
and  stands  with  the  first  in  power  of  rhetorical  expo 
sition.  He  has  the  instincts  and  habits  of  a  scholar. 
As  a  student,  he  loves  to  roam  in  every  field  of 
knowledge.  He  delights  in  creations  of  the  imagin 
ation,  poetry,  fiction,  and  art;  loves  the  abstract 
things  of  philosophy  ;  takes  a  keen  interest  in  scien 
tific  research  ;  gathers  into  his  capacious  store-house 
the  facts  of-history  and  politics,  and  throws  over  the 
whole  the  life  and  power  of  his  own  originality.  .  .  . 
No  public  man  of  the  last  ten  years  has  more  won 
upon  our  scholars,  scientists,  men  of  letters,  and  the 
cultivated  classes  generally.  .  .  .  His  moral  char 
acter  is  the  fit  crown  of  his  physical  and  intellectual 
nature.  His  mind  is  pure,  his  heart  kind,  his  nature 
and  habits  simple,  his  generosity  unbounded.  An 
old  friend  told  me  the  other  day,  "  I  have  never 
found  anything  to  compare  with  Garfield's  heart." 


INCIDENTS  OF  HIS  MANHOOD.  475 

Smalley,  one  of  his  biographers,  says  : 

"  There  is  probably  no  living  political  orator 
whose  efforts  before  large  audiences  are  so  effective. 
He  appeals  directly  to  the  reason  of  men,  and  only 
after  carrying  his  hearers  along  on  a  strong  tide  of 
argument  to  irresistible  conclusions,  does  he  address 
himself  to  their  feelings.  .  .  .  He  has  a  powerful 
voice,  great  personal  magnetism,  and  a  style  of  ad 
dress  that  wins  confidence  at  the  outset,  and  he  is 
master  of  the  art  of  binding  together  facts  and  logic 
into  a  solid  sheaf  of  argument.  At  times  he  seems 
to  lift  his  audience  up  and  shake  it  with  strong  emo 
tion,  so  powerful  is  his  eloquence." 

We  close  our  narrative  with  a  collection  of  his 
original  sentiments  and  maxims,  from  his  numerous 
public  addresses,  just  the  thoughts  for  every  youth 
of  the  land  to  ponder  : 

"There  is  no  more  common  thought  among  young 
people  than  that  foolish  one,  that  by  and  by  some 
thing  will  turn  up  by  which  they  will  suddenly 
achieve  fame  or  fortune.  No,  young  gentlemen ; 
things  don't  turn  up  in  this  world  unless  somebody 
turns  them  up." 

"  I  feel  a  profounder  reverence  for  a  boy  than  a 
man.  I  never  meet  a  ragged  boy  on  the  street 
without  feeling  that  I  owe  him  a  salute,  for  I  know 
not  what  possibilities  may  be  buttoned  up  under  his 
shabby  coat." 

"  There  is  scarcely  a  more  pitiable  sight  than  tc 
see  here  and  there  learned  men,  so  called,  who  have 
graduated  in  our  own  and  the  universities  of  Europe 


476  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

with  high  honors,  and  yet  who  could  not  harness  a 
horse,  or  make  out  a  bill  of  sale,  if  the  world  de 
pended  upon  it." 

"  Luck  is  an  ignis  fatuus.  You  may  follow  it  to 
ruin,  but  not  to  success." 

"  A  pound  of  pluck  is  worth  a  ton  of  luck." 

w  Be  fit  for  more  than  the  one  thing  you  are  now 
doing." 

"  Nothing  is  more  uncertain  than  the  result  of  any 
one  throw ;  few  things  more  certain  than  the  result 
of  many  throws." 

"  If  the  power  to  do  hard  work  is  not  talent,  it  is 
the  best  possible  substitute  for  it." 

"Every  character  is  the  joint  product  of  nature 
and  nurture." 

"  Not  a  man  of  iron,  but  of  live  oak." 

"It  is  no  honor  or  profit  merely  to  appear 'in  the 
arena.  The  wreath  is  for  those  who  contend." 

"  For  the  noblest  man  that  lives  there  still  remains 
a  conflict." 

"The  privilege  of  being  a  young  man  is  a  great 
privilege,  and  the  privilege  of  growing  up  to  be  an 
independent  man,  in  middle  life,  is  a  greater." 

"  I  would  rather  be  beaten  in  right  than  succeed 
in  wrong." 

"  Present  evils  always  seem  greater  than  those 
that  never  come." 

"Whatever  you  win  in  life  you  must  conquer  by 
your  own  efforts,  and  then  it  is  yours  —  a  part  of 
yourself." 

"  Poets  may  be  born,  but  success  is  made." 


INCIDENTS  OF  HIS  MANHOOD.  477 

"  Growth  is  better  than  permanence,  and  perma 
nent  growth  is  ^better  than  all." 

"The  principles  of  ethics  have  not  changed  by 
the  lapse  of  years." 

"  If  there  be  one  thing  upon  this  earth  that  man 
kind  love  and  admire  better  than  another,  it  is  a 
brave  man,  —  it  is  a  man  who  dares  look  the  devil 
in  the  face,  and  tell  him  he  is  a  devil." 

"The  possession  of  great  powers  no  doubt  carries 
with  it  a  contempt  for  mere  external  show." 

"That  man  will  be  a  benefactor  of  his  race  who 
shall  teach  us  how  to  manage  rightly  the  first  years 
of  a  child's  education." 

"The  student  should  study  himself,  his  relation  to 
society,  to  nature,  and  to  art,  and  above  all,  in  all, 
and  through  all  these,  he  should  study  the  relations 
of  himself,  society,  nature,  and  art  to  God,  the  Au 
thor  of  them  all." 

"  Great  ideas  travel  slowly,  and  for  a  time  noise 
lessly,  as  the  gods  whose  feet  were  shod  with  wool." 

"  What  the  arts  are  to  the  world  of  matter,  litera 
ture  is  to  the  world  of  mind." 

"  Truth  is  so  related  and  correlated  that  no  depart 
ment  of  her  realm  is  wholly  isolated." 

"  I  would  rather  be  defeated  than  make  capital  out 
of  my  religion." 

"Ideas  are  the  great  warriors  of  the  world,  and  a 
war  that  has  no  ideas  behind  it  is  simply  brutality." 

"  After  all,  territory  is  but  the  body  of  a  nation. 
The  people  who  inhabit  its  hills  and  its  valleys  are 
its  soul,  its  spirit,  its  life." 


478  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Come  down  the  glorious  steps  of  our  banner. 
Every  great  record  we  have  made  has  been  vindi 
cated  with  our  blood  and  with  our  truth.  It  sweeps 
the  ground,  and  it  touches  the  stars." 

"It  is  a  fearful  thing  for  one  man  to  stand  up  in 
the  face  of  his  brother  man  and  refuse  to  keep  his 
pledge ;  but  it  is  a  forty-five  million  times  worse 
thing  for  a  nation  to  do  it.  It  breaks  the  mainspring 
of  faith." 

"The  flowers  that  bloom  over  the  garden  wall  of 
party  politics  are  the  sweetest  and  most  fragrant 
that  bloom  in  the  gardens  of  this  world." 

"  It  was  not  one  man  who  killed  Abraham  Lin 
coln  ;  it  was  the  embodied  spirit  of  treason  and  sla 
very,  inspired  with  fearful  and  despairing  hate,  that 
struck  him  down  in  the  moment  of  the  nation's  su- 
premest  joy." 


LA  TEST  J3  0  OKS  £  Y  THE  SAME  A  UTHOE. 


"TACT,  PUSH  AND  PRINCIPLE." 

A  book  for  young  men,  369  pp.  $1.50.  Founded  on  the  remark  of 
that  eminent  English  merchant,  Samuel  Budgett,  who  replied  to  the  ques 
tion,  "  What  are  the  conditions  of  success  ?  "  ''  The  conditions  of  success 
are  Tact,  Push,  and  Principle."  Under  these  heads,  Self-Reliance,  Thor 
oughness,  Singleness  of  Purpose,  Observation,  Decision,  Economy,  In 
dustry,  Perseverance,  etc.,  are  critically  discussed,  while  the  higher  ele 
ments  of  charactei-,  as  Conscience,  Honesty,  Benevolence,  Religion,  and 
the  place  of  the  Bible  in  the  activities  of  life,  receive  their  share  of  atten 
tion.  The  whole  is  profusely  illustrated  by  incidents  from  the  lives  of 

GREAT   MEN. 

"A. young  man  could  scarcely  have  a  better  book  to  lay  upon  his  table 
for  a  leisure  hour's  reading,  "it  abounds  in  practical  suggestions."  — 
Chicago  Inter-Ocean. 

"  If  there  is  a  young  man  on  whom  you  would  confer  a  lasting  favor, 
present  him  with*  a  copy  of  'Tact,  Push,  and  Principle.' — Christian 
Leader,  Boston. 

"  It  is  a  powerful  book.'  —  Journal  and  Messenger,  Cincinnati. 

"  I  would  earnestly  advise  every  young  person  to  read  '  Tart,  Push, 
and  Principle,'  not  once,  but  many  times" — //.  E.  Hibbard,  Principal 
Bry  int  and  Miration  Commercial  College,  Boston. 

"A  valuable  presentation  of  the  grand  opportunities  now  before  the 
young  men  of  our  country."  —  Hon.  Rufus  S.  Frost,  Boston. 

"  Much  as  Mr.  Thayer's  previous  books  have  done  for  mankind,  I  con 
sider  '  Tact,  Push,  and  Principle  '  as  a  motor  for  the  advancement  and 
guide  of  the  rising  generation  superior  to  any  of  the  others  in  its  happy 
influence."  —  Hon.  Marshall  P.  Wilder,  Boston. 

'"  Full  of  good  advice  with  regard  to  the  qualities  which  enter  into  busi 
ness  success.'— Methodist,  New  York. 

"  It  is  exceedingly  entertaining,  full  of  excellent  suggestions,  and  most 
effective  examples  of  practical  wisdom.  May  it  be  read  by  very  many  of 
the  three  million  young  men  in  our  country."—  Christian  Secretary,  Hart 
ford. 

"  '  TACT,  PUSH,  AND  PRINCIPLE'  is  written  in  a  vigorous  manner,  is 
full  of  sound  common  sense,  and  will  help  to  build  up  in  every  reader  a 
healthy,  manly  Christian  character.  It  is  one  of  the  best  of  its  sort."  — 
The  Congregationalist,  Boston. 

"  '  TACT,  PUSH,  AND  PRINCIPLE  '  is  an  admirable  volume  to  place  in 
the  hands  of  a  young  man  just  entering  upon  a  business  career.  Its  style 
will  win  the  reader,  its  example  will  powerfully  impress  him."  —  Ziorfs 
Herald,  Boston. 

"  If  studied  and  heeded  it  will  assist  young  men  to  make  their  lives 
energetic  and  useful."  —  Daily  Journal,  Boston. 

"  'TACT,  PUSH,  AND  PRINCIPLE'  is  full  of  practical  wisdom  and  ad 
mirable  suggestions  in  business."  —  Religious  Herald,  Hartford. 

"  It  ought  to  be  bought,  read,  and  practised  by  every  young  man  in  the 
country."  —  Prof-  James  E.  Vase. 


CHARLES  JEWETT:  LIFE  AND  RECOLLECTIONS, 

464  pp,    With  Fine  Steel  Portrait,    $1,50, 

Dr.  Jewett  was  distinguished,  not  only  as  a  Temperance  Reformer,  but 
also  as  physician,  inventor,  practical  mechanic,  writer,  orator,  and  pioneer 
of  the  West — one  of  the  most  remarkable  men  of  his  day.  His  struggles 
in  youth,  his  high  aims,  his  singular  tact,  his  moral  principle  and  great 
usefulness,  furnish  a  fascinating  and  inspiring  story,  not  only  for  adults, 
but  for  YOUNG  MEN  as  well. 

"His  '  Life'  is  immensely  entertaining,  and  the  portrait  of  him  opposite 
the  title  page  is  one  of  the'  most  characteristic  American  heads  ever  put 
upon  paper.  If  you  look  at  it  a  little  while  you  can  almost  see  a  keen  wit 
ticism  issue  from  those  humorous  lips." —  Dr.  T.  C.  Cuyler  in  Evangelist. 

"  His  life  was  full  of  incident.  The  writer  has  availed  himself  to  the 
utmost  of  his  materials,  and  has  made  a  peculiarly  interesting  and  profit 
able  volume." — Zion's  Herald,  Boston. 

"His  friend  and  biographer  has  allowed  the  incidents  of  his  life  to  tell 
their  own  story,  utilizing  to  the  best  result  whatever  could  be  reached  in 
letters,  newspapers,  and  the  memory  of  survivors.  .  .  .  We  can  only 
hope  that  in  thousands  of  families  this  volume  will  give  out  the  bright, 
good  man's  contagion  of  healthy,  happy  humanity,  and  his  hearty  hatred 
of  all  that  degrades  our  kind." —  Christian  Register,  Boston. 

"Every  page  of  the  memoir  is  aglow  with  anecdote  and  incident,  mak 
ing  the  book  throughout  as  interesting  as  a  novel.  It  ought  to  have  a  wide 
circulation  among  the  friends  of  temperance,  and  do  much  to  carry  for 
ward  that  great  work  to  which  its  subject  was  all  his  life  so  ardently 
devoted." —  Christian  Mirror,  Portland,  Me. 

"  I  have  read  some  works  of  history,  romance  and  biography,  but  can 
truly  say  this  work  has  been,  almost  from  beginning  to  end,  more  fasci 
nating  than  anvthing  I  have  ever  read.  The  story  of  his  eventful  life  has 
been  portrayed  by  a  master's  art.  It  is  the  best  book  that  Mr.  Thayer 
ever  wrote,  to  our  knowledge,  if  not  as  good  as  any  man  ever  wrote." — 
Hon.  M.  M.  Fisher  in  Franklin  Sentinel. 

"  As  a  biography  it  is  unique ;  it  reads  so  much  like  a  novel ;  is  dramatic 
and  keenly  discriminating.  You  have  made  him  the  most  perfect  Yankee 
on  record,  semper  paratus  for  every  labor  and  every  turn  of  tide  in  life's 
voyage.  He  was  a  remarkable  man,  and  your  delineation  of  his  character 
makes  you  also  remarkable.  Your  work  has  been  admirably  done,  and 
must  give  joy  to  all  friends  of  the  temperance  enterprise." — Judge  Crosby, 
of  Lowell,  Mass. 

"  I  have  read  it  aloud  to  my  family,  and  we  all  have  been  deeply  inter 
ested.  There  is  not  a  dull  page  in  it.  I  am  aware  you  had  a  good  subject ; 
but  a  house  may  be  full  of  good  things,  and  all  in  vain,  unless  there  be  a 
good  cook  to  use  them." — Rev.  S.  Briggs,  D.  D.,  Bristol,  Conn. 

"The  author  has  traced  with  a  master-hand  this  active  and  varied  life." 
—  New  Jersey  Herald,  Newton,  N.  J. 

"  A  book  as  exciting  as  the  most  thrilling  novel,  and  yet  elevating  and 
inspiring." —  The  Register,  Sussex,  N.  J. 

Mr.  Thayer's  work  leaves  nothing  more  to  be  desired.  Whoever  com 
mences  it  is  sure  to  read  the  volume  through  without  skipping  a  line." — 
The  Reporter,  Medfield,  Mass. 

These  books  may  be  ordered  of  our  Agents  or  of  the  publisher.  Agents 
wanted  everywhere. 

J,  H,  EAKLE,  Publisher,  178  Washington  St.,  Boston, 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


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